Mission Control, the Museum's new mobile classroom.

The San Diego Air & Space Museum is unveiling a new innovative and groundbreaking Mission Control mobile classroom which will dramatically increase the Museum’s STEM outreach and programming and bring education to where the need is most critical in our local communities.

The unveiling of Mission Control will take place during a special ribbon cutting ceremony on Thursday, June 1 at 11 a.m. in front of the Museum’s location in Balboa Park.

 “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,” said President & CEO Jim Kidrick. “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.”

Mission Control will bring programming to schools, childcare centers, Boys & Girls clubs, and summer camps to increase the Museum’s geographical outreach, quality and quantity of equipment used, and most importantly, the number of children served.

Mission Control serves as a mobile classroom traveling to remote and underserved populations, bringing STEM education to where local youth live and learn. Museum educators provide instruction using advanced technology, supplies, and learning processes to engage children’s imagination. At the conclusion of some programs, students take home a new storybook and supplies for simple activities to extend learning at home.

The hands-on portions of the Museum’s education programs includes building and art projects, which connect back to the meaning of the stories the students read, using materials such as blocks and arts and crafts supplies. As children engage their imagination, they learn to solve problems and develop critical thinking skills, use references from the story, and collaborate with their peers and caregivers.