The Challenger Learning Center of Maine
- In The News!
Kenneth Harris II ENG.D Visits CLC of Maine and Bangor High School
NASA engineer visits Bangor High School to inspire students to explore STEM
Fox Bangor | Author: Grace Blanchard
"It kind of opens a light to other students that there's a lot of opportunities out there and that anything is really possible," said Bangor High School Senior Emme Nguyen.”
E-Waste fundraising event
media coverage
Challenger Learning Center of Maine holds E-Waste fundraiser to support STEM education
Fox Bangor | Author: Grace Blanchard
“Each year, the center partners with North Coast Services to break down the waste, to ensure these items are properly disposed of instead of ending up in landfills.”
Yuri’s Night 2026 media coverage
Space enthusiasts gather in Bangor for Yuri’s Night Celebration
WABI 5 Bangor | Author: Nathan Deveney
“The center hosted its first ever Yuri’s Night event allowing the community to come in and play space themed board games and tabletop role playing games set up in their space simulators.”
Media coverage for our live NASA Downlink
Brunswick Students Connect with Astronauts Aboard the ISS
News Center Maine | Author: Drew Peters
“A rare educational downlink gave students a chance to ask Maine astronaut Jessica Meir questions about space as she works aboard the International Space Station.”
Photo Credit: Brianna Soukup - Portland Press Herald - 3/20/2026
Brunswick kids talk to astronauts as they orbit Earth
Portland Press Herald Author: Katie Langley
“When you ask a kid what they want to be when they grow up, “astronaut” is as classic an answer as “president” or “veterinarian.” Friday morning, Students at Harriet Beecher Stowe Elementary School learned that childhood dream could become reality as they spoke live with astronauts aboard the International Space Station.”
Elementary school students in Brunswick speak with astronauts aboard the International Space Station
WMTW News 8 | Author: Jacob Murphy
“More than 100 fourth and fifth-grade students crowded into the gymnasium of Harriet Beecher Stowe Elementary School, eyes glued to a projector screen showing two astronauts floating. It was Jessica Meir, who grew up in Caribou, and fellow astronaut Christopher Williams.”
40th Anniversary Media Coverage
Challenger Learning Center in Bangor ignites students' passion for space
News Center Maine | Author: Akua Devall
“Forty years after the Challenger disaster, the Challenger Learning Center of Maine continues to honor the crew’s legacy by inspiring the next generation of students through hands-on learning and exploration.”
40 years after Challenger disaster, Christa McAuliffe’s mission lives on in Maine
WMTW News 8 | Author: Scott McDonnell
“That legacy lives on at the Challenger Learning Center of Maine, where students take part in hands-on space science simulations designed to inspire interest in science, technology, engineering and math education. The center recently received a grant totaling more than $2 million in upgrades.”
2025 Renovations
Photo Credit: Credit: Tulley Hescook / Maine Public
Bangor science and learning center shows off nearly $2.5M in renovations
Spectrum News | Author: David Ledford
““When they’re here, they get to run simulations of NASA-like missions,” said Hibbard. “So, they get to go back to the moon, they get to go on a mission to Mars, and…”
Challenger Learning Center of Maine completes transformative upgrades
Maine Public | Author: Kaitlyn Budion
““Just in case you were unaware we will be going to space today, atop a Falcon 9 rocket,” announced flight director Jim Tyson, as students huddle in an aura of blue light inside the center’s small transporter room as the sounds of a rocket launch echo around them.”
NASA's Community Anchor Award
2023
From Maine to Mars: Bringing STEM to Rural Students to Inspire the Next Generation of Scientists
NASA STEM Team
“Over the past year, Challenger Learning Center of Maine has diligently worked to reach underserved populations through the generous NASA Community Anchor Award. As part of the Next Gen STEM project…”
Challenger’s Virtual Mission to Mars, extended to more communities
WABI 5 Bangor | Author: Kaddie Sharpe
“We also get to connect with students and tell them what’s happening at NASA. What’s happening right now with Mars missions. And it’s really making it current and bringing it…”