Celebrating 40 Years

Our next 40 years of discovery start today, and we need you on board. Let’s launch the next era—together.

As a leader in experiential STEM education, Challenger Center and its network of Challenger Learning Centers bring science, math, technology, engineering, and exploration to life in ways that inspire students to imagine new possibilities for their future.

Challenger Learning Center of Maine is part of a global network that engages hundreds of thousands of students each year.

Following the Challenger STS-51L tragedy, the crew’s families established Challenger Center in 1986 to honor their loved ones and carry forward their education mission.

Now celebrating its 40th anniversary, Challenger Center continues to inspire students and launch the next generation of explorers and innovators. Learn more at www.challenger.org.

As we look to the next 40 years, we are committed to leading the charge—uniting partners, thought leaders, and organizations with shared visions to tackle the urgent needs of today’s students and prepare them for the rapidly evolving STEM workforce of tomorrow. The journey continues, and our collective efforts have never been more vital.

Challenger crew aboard the spacecraft

Challenger crew members (left to right) Sharon Christa McAuliffe, Gregory Jarvis, Judith A. Resnik, Francis R. (Dick) Scobee, Ronald E. McNair, Michael J. Smith, and Ellison S. Onizuka. McAuliffe and Jarvis are payload specialists, representing the Teacher in Space Project and Hughes Company, respectively. Photo credit: NASA

Our History

  • Challenger Center was founded in April 1986 by the families of the Challenger STS-51L crew. Family members are still active in the organization, serving as members of our board of directors and advisory council.

  • We were created to honor the Challenger crew’s educational legacy by inspiring students’ curiosity and passion for the science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields.

  • The first Challenger Learning Center opened in 1988. Since then, we have grown into a national network of over 30 Challenger Learning Centers, each offering immersive, hands-on STEM programs for K-12.

  • Today, Challenger Center stands as one of the most recognized names in experiential STEM education, and we’ve reached more than 6.5 million students worldwide since our founding.

“Because of the Challenger program, my love of STEM blossomed. Even now, years after I’ve completed the programs, I continue to return as a volunteer. I observe the same joy I felt all those years ago on the faces of children today.””

-Katherine Lake Former participant and current volunteer