Challenger’s 25th Anniversary Honored Here with Special Events

Jan. 28 Marks 25th Anniversary of Shuttle Tragedy

Jan. 28, 2011 will mark the 25th anniversary of the Shuttle Challenger tragedy. To honor the Challenger crew and their families, the Challenger Learning Center-St. Louis will offer a variety of free programs, including missions to the public throughout the  day, video conferences for teachers and students and launch the “Where Were You…Will You Wear Blue?” campaign.

The center is providing space on its website for people to recount their memories of that tragic day, by submitting either written stories or video messages. To help teachers mark the anniversary in their classrooms, the site will also include links to the lesson plans Christa (“http://www.challenger.org/about/history/mcauliffe.cfm) McAuliffe, who was to be the first civilian teacher in space, planned to teach from space. To commemorate the tragedy on Jan. 28, people are encouraged to wear royal blue to honor the Challenger astronauts and their families.

“It is an honor to play a part in the 25th anniversary and pay tribute to the crew members of the Challenger shuttle,” said Tasmyn Scarl Front, director of the Challenger Learning Center–St. Louis. “Every student who increases their interest in science and math because of their experience at the Challenger Learning Center is part of a living tribute to the Challenger crew and its mission.”

To honor Challenger  loved ones and continue the educational spirit of the mission, the family members created the Challenger Center for Space Science Education in April of 1986. It was the world’s first interactive space science education center to use state-of-the-art technology and space-life simulators. Today, more than 500,000 students explore space annually at more than 45 Challenger Learning Centers throughout the world including the Challenger Learning Center-St. Louis in Ferguson, Missouri.

For more information about the anniversary events or to share your story, visit “http://www.clcstlouis.org”clcstlouis.org

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