The 2025–26 school year was a year of exploration, discovery, and connection for the San Diego Air & Space Museum’s Education Department. The Museum welcomed more than 32,000 students and educators through museum programs and outreach experiences, bringing aviation and aerospace instruction to future exploreres throughout San Diego County.

The Museum’s summer camps welcomed 550 children to programs including Astronauts in Training, Spy Camp, and Junior Flight Crew. Campers explored engineering, astronomy, and aviation careers through hands-on activities and immersive experiences. The Museum’s also delivered two weeks of space exploration to 175 children at Pacific Beach Elementary through summer enrichment. Students investigated aliens running for mayor, built models of the solar system, and designed their own space stations.

At the Museum, more than 6,000 visitors participated in educational workshops and tours, gaining hands-on experience with rocket building, robotics, and human space exploration. Meanwhile, Mission Control, the Museum’s groundbreaking mobile classroom, traveled to 88 locations and reached approximately 5,500 students. This unique program delivers STEM learning directly to rural communities, Title I schools, and libraries, meeting children where they live and learn.

The Education Department also hosted three public programs and a middle school competition, with the highlight being the celebration of the splashdown of Artemis II, a full moon joy moment for everyone who gathered to celebrate this incredible achievement.

The coming year brings exciting new opportunities. Mission Control will be back on the road and, thanks to a generous grant from the Foundation for Developmental Disabilities, will be able to provide free programming to self-contained classrooms. A grant from the G.W. Bailey Foundation will give students new opportunities to explore robotics, while support from the County of San Diego will allow Storytime classes to send children home with a book to share and read with their families.

Thank you to everyone who participated, volunteered, supported, and helped make this year such a success. We look forward to another year of inspiring students, educators, and families throughout San Diego County during the 2026–27 school year!