Space Foundation Discovery Center

Step Into the Cosmos
Five minutes from Garden of the Gods, the Space Foundation Discovery Center waits with artifacts that have left Earth’s atmosphere and returned to tell the tale. This isn’t a museum where you shuffle past roped-off displays—it’s a place where space becomes tangible.
Walk through the doors, and immediately you’re surrounded. Actual space gear hangs on the walls. Interactive exhibits invite your hands. Screens glow with data from distant corners of the universe—the air hums with the kind of energy that happens when science meets curiosity.

Touch, Test, Experiment
Run your fingers along heat-resistant materials designed for reentry. Stand before the 3D Science on a Sphere® globe as it projects swirling weather systems, ocean currents, and planetary surfaces in real-time. Watch the Earth rotate beneath your gaze, data visualized in ways that make abstract concepts suddenly concrete.
In the Spacelab, things get hands-on. Program robotic rovers and watch them navigate simulated Martian terrain, completing mission objectives you’ve coded yourself. Troubleshoot when they veer off course. Celebrate when they nail the landing. This is STEM learning that feels like play—engineering principles disguised as problem-solving adventure.
Wander through exhibits tracing humanity’s journey beyond our atmosphere. Early rockets. Moon missions. The International Space Station. Each display offers context, but more importantly, it offers connection—the sense that this vast universe is something we’re actively exploring, not just observing from a distance.

Events That Bring the Universe Closer
The Discovery Center doesn’t sit still. Weekly, monthly, and yearly events fill the calendar with reasons to return. Family star parties gather under Colorado’s dark skies, telescopes pointed at planets and nebulae. Homeschool days offer curriculum-aligned programming with enough excitement to make kids forget they’re learning. Special guest speakers—astronauts, engineers, scientists—share stories that make space exploration feel both extraordinary and achievable.
Need a venue? The Discovery Center also hosts events. Imagine birthday parties where kids launch rockets or corporate gatherings surrounded by the wonders of space exploration.

Take a Piece of Space Home
Before you leave, the gift shop beckons. Space-themed souvenirs line the shelves—models, books, apparel that lets you wear your enthusiasm. And yes, they have astronaut ice cream—the real stuff, freeze-dried and surprisingly good. Grab a pack. It’s the snack that’s been to orbit, even if you haven’t.