Scouting America
Scouting America Programs at the Challenger Learning Center of Maine
Scouting is all about exploring new skills, tackling challenges, and discovering interests that can last a lifetime. At the Challenger Learning Center of Maine, we help Scouts do exactly that through immersive STEM experiences that connect badge work with hands-on learning and real world problem solving.
Our Scout programs focus on subjects that naturally align with our mission of exploration and innovation, including astronomy, robotics, and space exploration. Instead of sitting through a lecture, Scouts become active participants as they investigate the night sky, engineer robotic solutions, and discover the science behind rockets, satellites, and spaceflight.
Plan Your Visit
Whether you're looking to supplement your troop's advancement program or create a unique outing that combines learning and adventure, our team can help build an experience that meets your goals. We handle the STEM expertise so troop leaders can focus on what they do best, guiding Scouts as they learn, grow, and achieve.
Ready to bring your scouts to Challenger? Contact us today to start planning your program!
Astronomy Merit Badge
Explore the Universe and Earn Your Astronomy Merit Badge
The night sky has inspired explorers for thousands of years, and now it's your turn to discover what lies beyond our world.
The Challenger Learning Center of Maine offers Scouts an engaging, hands-on pathway toward earning the Astronomy Merit Badge. Through interactive STEM activities, telescope demonstrations, space science investigations, and guided observations, Scouts will build the knowledge and skills needed to explore the universe while working toward badge requirements.
How We Help
During the Astronomy Merit Badge program, Scouts may explore topics including:
Safe astronomy observing practices
Light pollution and its impact on our view of the night sky
How telescopes and binoculars help us study the universe
Different types of ground-based and space-based telescopes
Constellations, bright stars, and celestial navigation
The Milky Way galaxy and our place within it
The planets of our Solar System and their motion through the sky
The Moon's phases, surface features, and eclipses
The Sun, solar activity, and its effects on Earth
Astronomy-related careers and hobbies
Activity Options We Can Facilitate
Rather than simply reading about astronomy, Scouts participate in interactive activities designed to bring space science to life. Depending on program format and scheduling, activities may include:
Telescope and binocular demonstrations
Moon mapping and lunar geology activities
Solar System modeling
Space weather investigations
Night sky navigation exercises
Planet and constellation identification
Guided observation sessions
Discussions of NASA missions and current space exploration
Robotics Merit Badge
Design, Build, Program, and Test Like an Engineer
Robots are helping us explore other planets, manufacture products, assist in medicine, and solve problems here on Earth. The Robotics Merit Badge gives Scouts the opportunity to discover how these technologies work while developing valuable skills in engineering, programming, problem-solving, and teamwork.
The Challenger Learning Center of Maine offers Scouts a hands-on environment where they can explore the exciting world of robotics through guided challenges, engineering design activities, and real-world applications of robotic technology.
How We Help
During the Robotics Merit Badge program, Scouts may explore topics including:
Robotics safety and responsible operation
The history and growth of the robotics industry
The engineering design process
Robot design and construction
Programming and testing robotic systems
Sensors, inputs, and outputs
Troubleshooting and improving robot performance
Real-world applications of robotics
Robotics-related careers and educational pathways
Activity Options We Can Facilitate
Scouts learn best by doing. Through guided activities and team-based challenges, participants will work through the same process used by engineers and robotics professionals:
Identify a problem or mission objective
Design a robotic solution
Build and assemble a robot
Program robotic behaviors
Test and improve performance
Demonstrate and explain their final design
Space Exploration
Merit Badge
Discover the Science, Technology, and History of Spaceflight
From the earliest rockets to today's missions to the Moon, Mars, and beyond, space exploration represents one of humanity's greatest adventures. The Space Exploration Merit Badge invites Scouts to learn how rockets work, how spacecraft operate, and how explorers continue to push the boundaries of discovery.
As Maine's premier space-themed STEM education center, the Challenger Learning Center of Maine provides an ideal environment for Scouts to explore the science and technology behind spaceflight while working toward earning their Space Exploration Merit Badge.
How We Help
During the Space Exploration Merit Badge program, Scouts may explore topics including:
The history of the United States space program
Rocket design and basic rocket science
Newton's Laws of Motion and how they apply to spaceflight
Satellites and their role in modern life
Spacecraft systems and mission operations
Current and future exploration of the Moon and Mars
Careers in aerospace and space-related industries
Activity Options We Can Facilitate
One of the highlights of the Space Exploration Merit Badge is designing, building, launching, and recovering a model rocket!
Rocket components and design
Stability and flight characteristics
Launch safety procedures
Recovery systems
Flight analysis and evaluation