New Mission Control Mobile Classroom Announced

Opened to the public in 1963, the San Diego Air & Space Museum (SDASM)—an aviation and space exploration museum listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places—has unveiled a new innovative and groundbreaking Mission Control mobile classroom devised for purpose of dramatically increasing the institution’s STEM outreach.

The Mission Control mobile classroom debuted during a 01 June 2023 ribbon-cutting ceremony at the Museum’s location in Balboa Park’s former Ford Motor Company Building.

SDASM president and CEO Jim Kidrick stated: “The San Diego Air & Space Museum has provided STEM-focused youth educational programming in the local community for several decades, and education remains a top-priority for the Museum. Our groundbreaking new Mission Control mobile classroom allows our education team to travel to parts of the community where the need for educational programming is most critical. Mission Control will help our educators inspire the next generations of learners to be innovative critical thinkers, problem solvers, and focused on careers in STEM related fields.”

The new Mission Control undertaking will bring programming to schools, childcare centers, Boys & Girls clubs, and summer camps, thereby increasing the museum’s geographical outreach, the quality and quantity of learning materials used, and most importantly, the number of children served.

After the de rigueur fashion of prioritizing equity over effectiveness, the Mission Control mobile classroom will travel to ostensibly underserved populations, bringing STEM education to the selfsame locales in which local youth live and learn. Museum educators will staff the mobile classroom, providing instruction and using advanced technology, materials, and learning processes to engage children’s imaginations. At the conclusion of some programs, students will take home storybooks and supplies intended to facilitate home learning.

The hands-on portions of the Museum’s education programs include building and art projects which connect back to the meaning of the stories provided to and read by students. The Mission Control mobile classroom’s developers assert that children, by engaging their imaginations, using references from provided stories, and collaborating with their peers and caregivers, learn to solve problems and develop critical thinking skills.

FMI: www.sandiegoairandspace.org