Christa McAuliffe Space Center

[4] It aims to teach astronomy and social studies through the use of simulators; the first, Voyager, proved itself popular, and a new planetarium built in 2020.

In October 2012, the space center was temporarily closed at Central Elementary[5][6] but re-opened, following several district-mandated upgrades, closures, and maintenance procedures, in the spring of 2013.

[8] The new space center included the second largest planetarium in the state of Utah, which started running shows in November 2020.

The center and its founder were honored in a ceremony in its 15th year by many individuals, including Gary Herbert, the Lieutenant Governor of Utah.

[10] The space center uses its simulators in order to create interactive stories, usually applicable to historical events, in which the students are involved.

They get the chance to learn about black holes, nebulae, asteroids, planets, planetary systems, moons, and a variety of other phenomena.

[12] Students at the local Brigham Young University have the opportunity to develop consoles and equipment for the space center; gadgets such as Tricorders, touch panel equipment, fiber optics systems, ships, and digital/analog control interfaces all help to give a more realistic effect to the experience.

Tactical screens are in essence complex power points that can be networked to display real time information about the ship.

In order to ensure that visitors are safe, a network of cameras is also installed at key points on the set to monitor their positions.

Private donations paid for the simulators, while the school district pays the salary of the center's director.

The space center offers a variety of programs that provide varying mission lengths and experiences.

The space center also used to have overnight camps starting on Friday nights and ending on the following Saturday mornings: all missions were "paused" for the night, campers slept at the space center overnight, and then missions were resumed in the morning.

A Leadership Camp may not be flown every summer due to the amount of planning that goes into it, since it runs through multiple days.

In the old building, when unexplained problems arose, staff would pray to "The Victor, the Lorraine, and the Magellan Ghost".

Once the new space center opened, hauntings would occasionally occur, where lights would flicker or doors suddenly closed.