Christa McAuliffe Center reopens at Framingham State University 38 years after Challenger disaster
FRAMINGHAM - From interactive robots to a state-of-the-art planetarium, the newly-renovated Christa McAuliffe Center at Framingham State University opened its doors over the weekend.
The McAuliffe Center was originally created in 1994 as a way to honor the FSU graduate and first teacher in space, who was killed in the Challenger space shuttle disaster in January 1986. The new center is designed to serve students no matter what their career dreams may be.
"Christa was not a science teacher, she was a social studies teacher," said director Iren Porro. "So the fact she wanted to go to space, to me, speaks volumes about how she already had this idea of integration."
The center is a complete interactive learning space that includes a large exhibit hall, planetarium and the Challenger Learning Center.
"We provide simulation of space missions, typically for students in middle and high school but honestly, the simulation is for learners of all ages," said Porro.
Fly directors and FSU students help facilitate the space missions. The $8 million renovation is years in the making and the grand reopening falls 38 years after the Challenger disaster. Now her legacy of impacting children continues to reach beyond the stars.
"Learning what she did to the community, as a teacher, I think it's a great thing," said FSU graduate student Ritu Pandey. "You don't always have to be an astronaut if you want to be in space."
Porro said students from across Massachusetts will be able to enjoy the center as part of their educational learning.
"She is reminding us we need to bring together multiple disciplines to approach problems and enjoy the world around us," said Porro.