Huntsville City Schools (HCS) fourth grade students will have an opportunity to experience one of the Rocket City’s most iconic destinations through Mission: Fourth Grade, a new community-supported initiative launching this fall.
Mission: Fourth Grade will provide HCS fourth graders with a field trip to the U.S. Space & Rocket Center at no cost to students or families thanks to support from community partners and The Schools Foundation.
“Living in Huntsville provides our students with incredible opportunities to learn from the people, places and industries that make our community so special,” said Holly McCarty, HCS District 2 School Board Representative. “Mission: Fourth Grade is a great example of our community coming together to provide students with meaningful learning experiences beyond the classroom.”
The program is scheduled to launch with Huntsville City Schools in November 2026 before expanding to other area school systems in 2027. The long-term goal is to provide the experience to every fourth grader in Madison County and eventually expand to students in Lauderdale, Limestone and Jackson counties by 2030.
“Mission: Fourth Grade will give our students an opportunity to experience the U.S. Space & Rocket Center firsthand,” said Jeanne Greer, Executive Director of The Schools Foundation. “We are grateful to the community partners who are helping make this experience possible.”
Through support from community partners, transportation and museum admission costs will be covered for participating students. Community partners supporting the initiative include Lockheed Martin, National Space Club, Free2Teach, CFD Research, Sentar, and Iron Mountain Solutions.
During their Mission: Fourth Grade experience, students will have opportunities to explore the U.S. Space & Rocket Center, including the Davidson Center for Space Exploration, Rocket Park and the main museum. Students will also experience a show in the INTUITIVE® Planetarium as part of their visit.
Before the school year even began, more than 90 fourth-grade teachers from Huntsville City Schools gathered at the Space & Rocket Center for specialized professional development led by the Space Center’s Education Department. Each teacher returned to the classroom equipped with engaging STEM lessons and hands-on STEM kits provided by Free 2 Teach, allowing students to begin exploring science, engineering, and Huntsville’s remarkable role in space exploration.
“Our team can’t wait to welcome Huntsville’s fourth graders to the Rocket Center this fall,” Tina Tucker, CEO of the U.S. Space & Rocket Center, said. “Because of the generous support of these sponsors, children who would not have been able to experience this awe-inspiring space will have the chance to do so. We want them to leave knowing the incredible contributions their hometown has made to space exploration and how they can be part of its future. This is truly a project for the community powered by the community.”
Mission: Fourth Grade will also provide resources and opportunities for educators designed to extend the experience beyond the field trip and into the classroom. These include professional development, classroom resources created by the Rocket Center education and planetarium teams, STEM kits and museum memberships for educators.
About the U.S. Space & Rocket Center
The U.S. Space & Rocket Center, home of Space Camp®, the Space Camp Institute® and the award-winning INTUITIVE® Planetarium, showcases a world-class collection of space artifacts including the Apollo 16 capsule, the National Historic Landmark Saturn V rocket and a full space shuttle stack. The Rocket Center is a Smithsonian affiliate and the Official Visitor Center for NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center. To learn more about the exciting programs and activities at the USSRC, visit the USSRC website.