DOWNEY — You won’t find Capt. Kirk or Mr. Spock on a simulated space flight to the moon in the year 2015, but youngsters in grades five and higher can gain self-reliance, learn to work as a team and receive a fun education in science and math in the Challenger Learning Center, one of the attractions at the Columbia Memorial Space Center, 12400 Columbia Way.

“The children are excited. They can’t wait to start and are sad when it’s over,” said Christie Pearce, manager of the center, referring to a number of student groups that have experienced the two-hour program.

The simulated space flight program was purchased by the city several years ago for some $700,000 from a group of relatives and friends of the Challenger Space Shuttle crew, who died when the shuttle exploded on takeoff Jan. 28, 1986.

Although the space center itself opened last October, the Challenger Learning Center opened several weeks ago and plans are under way for a formal dedication Aug. 30, Pearce said.

Groups of 16 to 36 students from area schools have been signing up for the simulated space flight along with admission and access to numerous other exhibits for $350 per class.

The simulated flight program is conducted with computers, robotics and hands-on exhibits, Pearce said.

It starts with a movie on space flight, its history, information on the moon and why space exploration should continue. The last visit to the moon was in 1972
Classes are divided into two equal groups. One group goes to Mission Control, where there are several rows of computers facing three large monitors, similar to the control room at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, or the lesser known control center on the NASA site in Downey.

The Columbia Center sits on two of those original 160 acres where the space program was developed in the 1960s and ’70s.

The other half of the class enters the shuttle itself via a revolving door that opens to a mock-up of the cockpit of a space craft. There are computers, robotic arms and testing equipment.

An important part of the program is a pre-visit orientation of teachers who are shown what to do and how to prepare the class for their “trip,” Pearce said.
Students in Mission Control are divided into teams by the teachers, such as communications, data, navigation, medical and life support.

Students in the shuttle are assigned to the same teams and communicate with their Mission Control counterparts via e-mails on their computers, Pearce explained.

A large binder next to each computer explains the tasks the student must perform as part of the team.

Each team has specific tasks. The communications teams talk with each other verbally by radio. The data team transfers electronic messages. The navigational team checks location data. The remote team analyses rocks and minerals in a container using robotic arms and the life support team monitors physical factors of the crew along with testing the water supply.

Emergencies are part of the experience.

“A red light flashes and students must use their computers to solve the problems, which are explained in the binder,” Pearce said.

After about an hour the Mission Control and Shuttle students switch places so they can experience both aspects of the flight.

“We usually ask the students if the visit interested them in careers in aerospace. There’s always a few who raise their hands,” Pearce said.

Other attractions at the Columbia Center, named for the ill-fated crew of the Columbia Space Shuttle, which exploded upon re-entry to the Earth Feb. 1, 2003, are: A model rocket launcher, a computer program to help land a returning shuttle, an airplane design area and a robotic lab in cooperation with the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena.

Planned in the near future is a nine-by-nine-foot screen taking up an entire first floor wall which will broadcast live news from NASA such as space flight takeoffs and landings, and educational and informational videos on space flight and its Downey history.

A group called Mathobotix will offer youngsters ages 6 to 14 three weeks of classes in robotics engineering projects.

Classes are July 26-30, Aug. 2-6 and Aug. 9-13.

Cost is $150 a week for a full day of classes, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.; or $120 a week for half-days, 9 a.m. to noon.

Information: (562) 231-1200 or visit www.mathobotix.com.

Regular center hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturdays. Admission is $5 per person, $3 each for a group of 10 or more.

Originally a fourth grade teacher, Pearce took her education credentials into the live science field with a stint at the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago and as community programs manager with the Orange County Department of Education before coming to Downey earlier this year.

She has a full-time assistant and oversees six part-time employees and 15 volunteers.

Noting that “we are just getting our feet on the ground,” Pearce said attendance has been good with 35 to 50 walk-in visits a day and numerous school groups from throughout the Los Angeles area.

In keeping with its futuristic, high-tech status, the center advertises over the Internet with its web site, www.columbiaspacescience.org and on Facebook.