Published: November 10, 2009 05:09 pm      

Indy Challenger Center hosts missions to space

INDIANAPOLIS — Ever dreamed of being an astronaut? Or are you just interested in space in general?

The Indianapolis Challenger Learning Center, a part of the Metropolitan School District of Decatur Township, has a solution to all aspiring space travelers.

They operate space “missions” and teach math and science standards to adults and children in grades five and higher.

“Our philosophy is scientific inquiry,” Challenger Director Gary Pellico said. “We are trying to get young people to be inquirers on a whole other level.”

The Challenger Learning Center was initially set up in honor of the members of the Space Shuttle Challenger crew who were killed when the shuttle broke apart 73 seconds into the flight in 1986. One of the members of the crew, Christa McAuliffe, was a teacher.

“We are here today because of the sacrifice that seven astronauts made in 1986,” Cyndy Moriarty-Meier, lead flight director, told a group of adults and students, recently. “The families (of the Challenger astronauts) wanted to continue that mission (of education) and they started the Challenger Learning Center and we are very proud to be a Challenger Learning Center.”

The center hosts missions, where groups of people or students come in and attempt to successfully complete a task. A recent group of students from Roncalli High School and a group of senior citizens from the Goodwin Center in Indianapolis worked together to perform a “Rendezvous with a Comet” mission.

The task is a representation of an actual NASA mission. There are two other missions, “Return to the Moon” and “Voyage to Mars,” that are open to groups.

“It is not a pre-determined mission,” Pellico told the group. “If it is going to be successful depends on how you do. It’s kind of like being on a reality show and I applaud you for taking this risk with us.”

The recent group of Roncalli High School students and Goodwin Center members were successful in their “Rendezvous to Mars.”

“The students were very good,” Roncalli High School Astronomy Club Moderator Cindy Buchmeier said. “It was really fun and I think the kids had a blast too, especially working with the women (from the Goodwin Center).”

Buchmeier said they plan on returning to the Challenger Center in March to take part in another mission.

Adam Nover, a sophomore from Roncalli High School, said he had been to the Challenger Center once before.

“When I was there the first time, it didn’t make any sense to me,” he said. “I was too young to understand some of it, but I thought it was a great experience and I got a lot out of it (this time). It was fun helping the older ladies. They didn’t feel comfortable with the technology and I love technology and we had to work together. You learn to work together as a team and have to follow directions. You can’t skip anything. It’s a fun experience and you learn a whole bunch.”

For student groups, pre- and post-flight activities and training are available to teachers to prepare their students for the activities they’ll be participating in while at the center.

The missions take 2 1/2 to 3 hours, depending on the group, and the group is split into two parts. One group mans mission control while the other mans the space shuttle. In the middle of the activity, the groups switch so everyone experiences both places.

“The neat thing is that you can do the same mission several times and have a different experience each time,” Pellico said. “They’re all doing very different things. There’s a whole dynamic that goes on, like a dance or a play. Everyone is doing different things, but moving toward the same goal.”

Pellico said the experience builds teamwork and communication between different groups. He said missions can be adjusted to meet specific needs, for example, he had a mission where a group of workers from a major Indianapolis company came to the center to learn about filling in for other people when they leave their posts.

“They wanted their employees to learn about secession,” he said. “So, we entered a virus into (the shuttle), and they had to physically carry them out because they were immobilized. It helped them work on stress.”

Group missions cost $600 and can have up to 34 people in one mission.

To schedule a mission or learn more about the center, visit the website at www.challengerindy.org or call Moriarty-Meier at 856-2167.

The Indianapolis Challenger Center of Decatur Township is at 5125 Decatur Blvd., Suite A, Indianapolis.

charlee.beasor@flyergroup.com