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. Now, the Museum has launched a new outreach vehicle allowing its education team to travel to parts of the community where the need for educational programming is highest.

Introduced in June 2023, the Museum’s Mission Control mobile classroom dramatically increases the Museum’s STEM outreach and programming and its ability to bring education to where it is needed most in our community.

Mission Control is a crucial cornerstone of the Museum’s community outreach. Designed to deliver aviation and aerospace STEM education to communities with the highest need, Mission Control serves students from preschool to high school, with curriculum rooted in the Engineering Design Process. Students learn technical skills through activities in rocketry, astrophysics, and aircraft design, while also developing essential soft skills like resilience, teamwork, and creative problem-solving. Mission Control travels to schools, libraries, and community centers across San Diego County to-to-three times each week, bringing hands-on learning experiences that encourage students to think creatively about their future careers.

Mission Control has been in high demand over the last several months, visiting 11 locations, including schools and libraries and appearing in the Holiday Bowl parade in December. Mission Control’s programs ranged from aircraft design, to rocket launching, to story time for preschool. During these numerous visits more than 550 students were served through educational programming. Mission Control is funded through a mixture of Museum donors, grant funds, and paid programming.

The Museum’s classroom at its primary location in Balboa Park accommodates 30 students as well as storage for educational materials and equipment. Unfortunately, the space does not provide a way to engage populations who are unable to visit the Museum due to distance or resources. The Mission Control mobile classroom allows the Museum to inspire the future generations of learners to be innovative critical thinkers, problem solvers, and focused on careers in STEM related fields.

We are always looking for new communities to visit and inspire through Mission Control. To request a visit to your school or community event, visit https://sandiegoairandspace.org/education/mission-control-bus