McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center facts for kids
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McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center
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| Established | 1990 |
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| Location | Concord, New Hampshire |
| Type | Science museum |
| Collection size | Planetarium, replica Mercury-Redstone Launch Vehicle |
| Visitors | 50,000 annually |
| Public transit access | Concord Area Transport |
The McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center is a fun science museum in Concord, New Hampshire. It is a place where you can learn all about space, planets, and flying!
This museum honors two amazing space heroes. One is Christa McAuliffe, a teacher from Concord who was chosen by NASA to be the first teacher in space. The other is Alan Shepard, who was the first American to travel into space. He also walked on the Moon!
The Discovery Center wants to inspire kids like you to explore space. They do this with cool exhibits and activities. You can learn about astronomy (the study of stars and planets), aviation (flying), and Earth and space science.
The museum is very big, about 45,000 square feet! It has 20,000 square feet of hands-on exhibits. Outside, you can see a full-size model of a Mercury-Redstone rocket. Inside, there's a digital planetarium where you can watch amazing shows about the stars. There's also an observatory for looking at the sky, a science store, and many educational programs.
History of the Discovery Center
The McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center started as a special place called the Christa McAuliffe Planetarium. It opened in June 1990. This planetarium was built to remember Christa McAuliffe.
In 2001, the planetarium also became a memorial for Alan Shepard. He had passed away in 1998. The Christa McAuliffe Planetarium was one of only two public planetariums in northern New England.
In 2009, the museum grew much bigger. It added many new science exhibits about space and flying. Because it had grown so much, its name changed to the McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center. The grand opening of the new, larger center was on March 6, 2009.
For 22 years, the Discovery Center was run by the State of New Hampshire. But on January 1, 2013, it became a private, nonprofit organization. This means it is now run by a special group that focuses on its mission. The state still owns the buildings and land, but the new group manages the museum.
What You Can Explore: Exhibits
The Discovery Center has many exciting exhibits for you to see and touch.
- You can see a real 1956 XF8U-2 jet.
- There are models of the Mercury capsule and the Mercury-Redstone rocket.
- You can learn about different planets and how we explore the Moon.
- There are exhibits about the Space Shuttle, including a simulator where you can pretend to fly one!
- You can also learn about aviation (how planes fly) and weather.
- The museum even has cool science fiction toys and items. These include a suit worn by Grace Lee Whitney in the 1979 movie Star Trek: The Motion Picture. You can also see chairs from Geordi La Forge's room in Star Trek: The Next Generation.
- The Discovery Center also brings in three new traveling exhibits each year. These exhibits teach about different areas of science and engineering.
The McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center also helps teachers. It runs NASA's Educator Resource Center for New Hampshire. It is also part of the New Hampshire Space Grant program.
Fun Programs and Events
The McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center offers many exciting programs and events for visitors of all ages.
- Every fall, they have a big festival called "Aerospacefest."
- On the first Friday of every month, you can go stargazing with the New Hampshire Astronomical Society. There's also a public science talk and a planetarium show.
- Teens can join a monthly hands-on science program.
- There are special programs for Scouting groups.
- Students can get internships during the summer through the Space Grant Summer STEM Camp.
- The center also offers classes for homeschoolers and fun summer camps.
