Race to Space

The Cheyenne Children's Museum, in collaboration with EdgeFlyte and the Oberg family, invite you to an out-of-this-world experience celebrating innovation by conducting hands-on science and honoring the legacy of lifelong learning: The Race to Space.

CCM is celebrating the long-awaited arrival of our own Rocket Launcher exhibit, an interactive STEM-based display that was originally on loan last year from the Science Zone in Casper, WY. It was such a hit amongst museum kids and grown ups alike that former longtime Cheyenne teacher, Gordon Oberg, offered to donate the funds necessary to purchase our very own in memory of his late wife of 60 years, Lois.

To celebrate, the museum, jointly with EdgeFlyte's Tate Schrock, invites families to a formal plaque dedication ceremony followed by a deep dive into the world of near-space discovery, where curiosity will take flight through interactive learning, experimentation, and play! We'll employ real-world applications of atmospheric science to the engineering behind satellite technology, with the ultimate goal of sending a weather balloon to the edge of the stratosphere... and bringing its payload back, all while livestreaming the whole expedition! 

The weather balloon's payload won't just be carrying instruments... It will carry the creativity of our community! Paper rockets, designed for our rocket launcher exhibit, will ride along with the weather balloon as it journeys to the edge of space. You're invited to be part of the mission by decorating your own paper rockets. The museum will have 100 rocket kits available for pickup soon, but only the first 60 turned back into the museum during launch week (April 19-25) will go on the payload to the stratosphere.

Kits will include everything you need to build a rocket at home (or in the museum!). How you decorate is entirely up to you! We want to see rocketry at its most creative. After the launch, the payload will return to Earth, and once it’s recovered, participating families will have the opportunity to take their rockets home—now as flown artifacts of an incredible near-space journey!

RSVP HERE and be the first to know about updates, weather predictions, and more on Launch Day.

We extend our heartfelt thanks to the Oberg family, whose support made both this exhibit and its launch possible. Originally given in honor of a beloved wife, this amazing gift now stands as a meaningful tribute to both Lois's memory and Gordon's too, creating a lasting legacy of curiosity, learning, and care for our community's children.