SFist Checks Out the 510: The Space-Faring Edition

Saturday, January 28, marks the 20th anniversary of the space shuttle Challenger's explosion. SFist can't help but think of the ill-fated tenth mission every time we pass Onizuka Air Force Station down in Sunnyvale. We're not the only space groupies with the anniversary on our minds: the Chabot Space & Science Center in Oakland will feature a special memorial presentation all day, and screen the movie To Be an Astronaut at 11:30 am and 6:00 pm. General admission to the planetarium is $13, but kids under 13 get in for $9; the center is open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Saturday.

Out in Sacramento -- classified as "Bay Area" for KQED's fund-raising purposes, anyway -- the Discovery Museum will be holding a memorial for the astronauts, then turning the focus toward continued space exploration with hands-on activities for museumgoers. Hours are from 10:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m. It's $5 for adults, while children cost $3-4, depending on their age.

Both museums are part of the Challenger Learning Center Network. The Challenger Learning Center's a nationwide initiative founded by the families of the astronauts from Challenger Space Shuttle mission 51-L, and devoted to educating children about science and space exploration through hands-on activities.

Image of the Challenger crew courtesy of NASA. (from left to right) Ellison S. Onizuka, Michael J. Smith, S. Christa McAuliffe, Francis R. (Dick) Scobee, Commander, Gregory B. Jarvis, Judy A. Resnik, Ronald E. McNair.

SFist Lisa, contributing