Rendezvous with Comet Halley

Comet Halley

Rendezvous with Comet Halley

The year is 2061 A.D. Comet Halley, which orbits the Sun approximately once every 76 years, is once again in the portion of its orbit that brings it through the interior of our Solar System. As it passes near Earth and Mars, we are given the opportunity to study the comet from an Earth-orbiting Space Station. By observing the white dust tail (particles released from … Read More

Return to the Moon

Return to the Moon

Return to the Moon

The year is 2040 A.D. For the first time since the last Apollo mission in 1972, man returns to the Moon. The goal of the mission is to establish a permanent lunar base that will allow the astronauts to: 1) collect and analyze data about the space environment and the Moon; 2) study the feasibility for developing a self sustaining off planet settlement; and 3) … Read More

Welcome to Challenger Center Hawai‘i

Welcome to Challenger Center Hawai‘i, where the wonders of the cosmos are within reach.

Challenger Center Hawai‘i (CCHI) is a once-in-a-lifetime experience that offers middle-school students the opportunity to apply both critical and creative thinking in a real-world collaborative space exploration scenario. This engaging, hands-on facility enables students to work in teams to problem solve and work together to achieve success during spaceflight missions — Rendezvous with Comet Halley (6th grade) and Return to the Moon (7th and 8th grade). From pre-flight training to Mission Day and post-mission debriefing, students are immersed in a fully-integrated Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics (STEM) program based on core concepts that enhance their aptitude in a wide variety of foundational life skills, including cooperative reasoning, effective communication, and confidence under pressure.

Opened in 1993, Challenger Center Hawai‘i is located on the Barbers Point Elementary School campus and operated by the Leeward District Department of Education. Part of a growing network of learning centers established by the Challenger Center for Space Science Education, the facility houses a realistic Mission Control modeled after NASA's Johnson Space Center and a futuristic Space Station with many of the same elements found on an actual spacecraft. As a NASA Regional Educator Resource Center (RERC), CCHI is the only learning center in the State of Hawai‘i that serves as a middle school application and assessment site for the Hawai‘i Content and Performance Standards III (HCPS III) and General Learner Outcomes.