Christa McAuliffe was a Social Studies teacher at Concord High School in Concord, New Hampshire.  She was to be the first teacher to go to outer space.

Thirty years ago, on January 28,1986, only 73 minutes into the flight, the Space Shuttle Challenger exploded killing all that were aboard.

Christa was an amazing teacher who loved teaching and inspired her students.  Christa's motto was: "I touch the future. I teach."

Christa's two children as well as former students of hers have gone on to become educators.  They want to carry on her legacy and to make sure she is never forgotten.
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We are so excited to have a brand new aquarium onboard! All approximately 800 pounds of it arrived today. It traveled from Maine all the way here to South Carolina! A big thanks goes out to everyone involved. Can't wait to fill it with critters and hope you can visit!

Superstorm Jonas this past weekend brought lots of rain and wind on top of high tides.  The tide was a special tide called a Spring Tide that occurs when the moon, earth and sun form a straight line at a full or new moon.  This weekend's full moon caused our tides to be extra high, over 6 feet.  The wind and rain can affect tides by pushing the water in or out and adding extra water from runoff of over 2 inches of rain.  These big tides flood the saltmarsh with extra water and wash dead marsh grass, and sometimes trash, out into our waterways. Spring tides also bring water and nutrients to plants and animals in the highest parts of the marsh. 

Written by Science Educator Sue Morrison

Check out how high tides affected other parts of the country!
http://www.weather.com/storms/winter/news/winter-storm-jonas-high-winds-coastal-flood-threats

If you come visit our aquarium room in the Education Center here, you just might see a flounder! Flounder are also called flat fish and spend their whole lives on their side. As they mature, one eye moves to the other side of their head so both eyes are on one side! They are lie-in-wait predators, which means they lie on the bottom covered in sand, wait for their prey to approach, and then spring up and attack! 

Written by Science Educator Christine Michael 

Our first group of students from Angel Oak and Jane Edwards Elementary schools saw our new AR sand table in action today. We are very excited to share this new addition to your educational experience here at Patriots Point! 

Patriots Point is thrilled to introduce new technology to our science programming!  Using "augmented reality" our instructors can now play in a sandbox that will digitally respond to every change that is made! You have to see this one to believe it!  If you can't make it onboard, register to Skype with your class today!

This year we celebrate our 40th birthday at Patriots Point.

Visit our  TRULY HISTORIC QUICK CLIPS 
 page and watch the on going video series entitled "Happy 40th Birthday, Patriots Point" to see our progress over the past 40 years.

We hope you enjoy the quick clips.

January can be a cold and dreary month, but some pretty amazing things have happened in January during our country's brief existence.

The month of January does have a tragedy in its history.
January 28, 1986 - The U.S. Space Shuttle Challenger exploded 74 seconds into its flight, killing seven persons, including Christa McAuliffe, a teacher who was to be the first ordinary citizen in space.
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