The Fort Collins Museum & Discovery Science Center is proud to be a partner with Space Center Houston through a special outreach program called Virtual Space Community. Within the community, Space Center Houston delivers space-themed interactive distance learning programming using state of the art video conferencing technology. This programming largely focuses on math and science content, which is a strategic focus for NASA. Each partner receives specific space-themed curriculum to help fulfill the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) National Education Standards and their individual State Education Standards.

There are a variety of ways you can participate in Virtual Space Community. The official website (www.virtualspacecommunity.org) provides lots of curriculum ideas, activities, news about NASA events, and upcoming VSC events around the country.

As part of Virtual Space Community, the Fort Collins Museum & Discovery Science Center works with school and community partners to bring space science and astronomy to the community at large. The Poudre School District and Front Range Community College Astronomy Department serve as excellent partners with us in this endeavor.

Upcoming Virtual Space Community events

School Programs

School classrooms are invited to take advantage of special Virtual Space Community outreach programs. The Museum can bring our StarLab Planetarium along with up to two hands-on activities to your school. We can also, in partnership with Front Range Community College, host a Family Night for your class at Stargazer Observatory in which the Museum will facilitate up to three StarLab Planetarium Shows and two hands-on space science activities. In addition, if you have live video conferencing technology available at your school, we can provide a free program for you, live from Space Center Houston!

For information about any of the above programs, please call 970-416-2705 or email Toby Swaford, K-12 Education Coordinator.