Students in Jan Furuta’s ’86 fifth grade class experienced an adventure of astronomical proportions, reporting to the Challenger Center Hawai‘i for their “Rendezvous with Comet Halley” mission. The hands-on simulation separated the class into teams – with some students posted at Mission Control on Earth and the others as astronauts on the Space Station.
Through this collaborative project, the students had to manage the successful landing of an exploratory probe on a fast-moving comet in outer space, with the intent to learn more about the origins of the universe and gather other scientific data. The students applied lessons in teamwork, communication, problem solving, math and science to accomplish their mission. The entire fifth grade class participates in this cosmic challenge.
