Emporia State University is honoring the crew of the Space Shuttle Challenger on the 40th anniversary of the explosion that claimed the lives of all aboard. A week of activities beginning Monday, Jan. 26 is led by the McNair Scholars Program in collaboration with the Peterson Planetarium and other ESU departments. The McNair Scholars Program, a federal initiative created in 1989 by Congress to prepare undergraduate students for doctoral studies, is named after Challenger mission specialist Dr. Ronald McNair. Christa McAuliffe, a teacher, was also an astronaut aboard the ill-fated shuttle.
From Monday, Jan. 26 through Friday, Jan. 30, a pop-up museum will be set up in the Memorial Union’s Main Street area on the first floor. It will be open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily.
The museum will feature information about the astronauts and the disaster itself with interactive elements including a memory wall where attendees who recall the event can post reflections. A dream board will allow guests to write their own dreams for the future in recognition of McNair’s dream of being in space.
On Wednesday, Jan. 28 from 10:30 to 11 a.m., a brief ceremony will be held on MU Main Street featuring a short history of the Challenger accident, a moment of silence at the time of the explosion and comments from Mark Brown, Peterson Planetarium director. Dawn McConkie, music professor, will perform a piece of music in honor of Dr. McNair.
The Peterson Planetarium, located in ESU’s Science Hall Room 031, is displaying a model of the Challenger and other memorabilia through Tuesday, Feb. 3. A poster presentation will include remembrance of others lost in the service of space exploration, including the crews of Apollo 1, Challenger and Columbia. On Thursday, Jan. 29 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., the planetarium will show a special video on a loop for attendees to view at their convenience.
ESU students, faculty, staff and the public are invited to attend these activities. All events are free and no registration is required.