For decades, a San Antonio planetarium has captured the attention of millions who wonder what's among those stars in galaxies far away. Annette Garcia explores the Scobee Education Center in this edition of "Around Texas."
SAN ANTONIO -- Space is something that has always captured people's attention, young and old. A trip into a world of mystery is what you can take at the Scobee Education Center.
"To be able to sit in the planetarium and be able to soar through the solar system or to go to the stars, to do the things in that room that you would only envision in science fiction otherwise allows you to escape for that 30 minutes or an hour," Scobee Education Center Director Rick Varner said.
The San Antonio College planetarium first opened in 1961. Over 50 years later, the Challenger Learning Center took the experience to new heights.
This learning center was created by those close to the Challenger crew and is one of only 40 in the world.
The focus: Teach children that science, technology, engineering and math can open doors. The 22,000-square-foot facility stirs curiosity.
"To me it's the faces of the children that come here. Whenever certain things happen in a mission, or a particular event happens in the planetarium and you hear and see their expressions light up and you realize that they're experiencing something they never experienced before. That brings joy to the heart of every educator and that's something that's particularly is fun for me," Varner said.
Two million children and adults have visited the center since the planetarium first opened in 1961.
The center is open to the public on designated days.
For more information visit their website.