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Students from the 4th and 5th grade classes had the opportunity to live the life of NASA Mission Control specialists recently, not by reading a book or watching a video, but rather through first-hand experience with simulated space missions at Wheeling Jesuit University’s Challenger Learning Center in Wheeling, W.Va.
From navigating a safe and successful probe launch to solving a life-threatening radiation problem, St. Francis students truly “walked in the shoes” of NASA engineers for a day filled with imagination, creativity and discovery.
“The overall goal of the mission is to improve students’ problem-solving skills and enhance their creative and critical thinking ability,” said Jackie Shia, Director of the Challenger Center. “The missions also go a step further to foster teamwork and plant the seeds for long-term interest in science and math.”
The Center offers two simulated experiences for students: working in a space station while in orbit and working with Mission Control, an operational hub modeled after NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.
During the two-hour mission, students serve on one of eight teams. Through the power of imagination and the excitement of discovery, students assume the roles of NASA engineers and scientists to monitor astronaut vital signs, analyze test results, and solve problems, all to ensure a successful space mission.
“All teams must work together to reach a common goal and each student plays an integral part in making this possible,” says Shia. “It’s amazing to see the energy that’s created among these kids as they learn more about the importance of math and science.”
St. Francis students are among the more than 8,000 students who take part in simulated missions at the Challenger Learning Center each year. The Center is part of a national network of centers established by the Challenger Center for Space Science in memory of the crew of the Challenger Space Shuttle.
In addition to offering award winning, state-of-the-art programs in a $500,000 space simulator, the Center, thanks to technology, brings its innovative programs to distant classrooms around the world through its electronic distance-learning programs, known as “e-Missions.” The CLC “flies” more than 800 e-Missions for schools, many located in traditionally underserved districts, each year. “With our distance-learning programs, we strive to reach out to students in all parts of the nation. The e-Mission is a way of bringing the beauty of space exploration right to the doorsteps of America’s schools,” says Shia. The Challenger Learning Center® also offers adult learners the chance to climb aboard a space station and complete a mission in the role of astronauts, scientists, and engineers with its Corporate Missions. A successful mission requires critical thinking, leadership, cooperation, and problem solving. “The lessons work well for those involved in the corporate world or in other organizations,” says Shia.
Wheeling Jesuit University integrates the Jesuit traditions of intellectual excellence with the best of advanced technology to educate students for life, leadership and service.The only Catholic institution of higher education in West Virginia, Wheeling Jesuit offers more than 30 undergraduate programs of study and six graduate degrees to about 1,500 students each year. The campus is home to the Robert C. Byrd National Technology Transfer Center, the Erma Ora Byrd Center for Educational Technologies, a Challenger Learning Center and the Clifford M. Lewis, S.J., Appalachian Institute. To arrange a visit to the Challenger Learning Center, call 304-243-8740 or visit the Challenger Learning Center online at http://clc.cet.edu.
Editor’s Note: For more information, please contact Annie Morgan, Assistant Director: On-site Programs at the Challenger Learning Center at Wheeling Jesuit University at 304-243-2386 or amorgan@cet.edu. You may also contact Mary Beth Criniti, Lead Flight Director at 304-243-2029 or mbcriniti@cet.edu.