I never expected to find myself at the helm of a space mission, let alone with my new boss by my side. But there we were, part of the Engines team, tasked with launching Blue Origin’s reusable launch vehicle, New Glenn, to deliver its lunar lander, Blue Moon, to the Moon’s surface. It was a key part of the broader Mission to explore uncharted lunar regions and identify a potential habitat for future human settlers. It sounded thrilling—certainly more exciting than a regular workday—but with a ticking clock and the weight of responsibility, it was a different kind of pressure.
Luckily, we had an expert guiding us. Sarah Raymond-Boyan, a Flight Director at Challenger Learning Center of Maine in Bangor, has been leading Virtual Missions for over four years. A Virtual Mission is a space simulation typically held in a classroom—students log on to computers, where they are greeted by a Flight Director calling in via video. That Flight Director guides them through the Mission in real time. She assigns students different roles in the Mission, such as the Mapping Team, who monitors weather conditions and analyzes our orbital path to find the best location to land. Or my own team, Engines, who is responsible for maneuvering the engine separations and performing the Blue Moon descent burn to land on the lunar surface. Even though our student days are behind us, Sarah excitedly agreed to lead a Virtual Mission for my colleagues and me.
Beyond running both in-person and Virtual Missions, Sarah’s real role is to bring science to life for students, turning them into astronauts and engineers for the day. Whether delivering payloads to the Moon, launching Earth-monitoring satellites, or selecting a Martian moon for human settlement, she transforms classes of students into mission specialists. Before our big Mission, I had the chance to sit down with Sarah to learn more about her work.
How Sarah Found Her Mission
Sarah’s love for science began long before she ever stepped into a flight suit. “When I was little,” she recalled, “I was always outside, exploring, turning over logs, digging in the dirt, running my own science experiments, making my own potions. Scientific curiosity has always been deeply rooted in me.” Now, she gets to witness that same passion ignite in students every day.
But leading Virtual Missions isn’t just about science—it’s about storytelling. “We set the stage with our flight suits, our simulations, and the characters we create as Flight Directors,” Sarah explained. “We guide students through a dramatic and immersive experience where they become the scientists and engineers making critical decisions. The work of the students drives the storyline.” While she may play a supporting role, her impact is unmistakable. From the start of her explaining today’s Mission, I felt like I was in safe hands.
Reaching for the Stars Starts With Reaching Students
I may have felt a bit apprehensive at the beginning, but that’s part of the beauty of these experiences: they push students out of their comfort zones. “I have teachers tell me that a student who never participates in class was fully engaged in their role during the Mission,” Sarah said. “It’s classroom-adjacent, so it feels okay to try and to take risks. Some students even discover, to their teacher’s surprise, that they’re the ones leading the charge, solving problems, and keeping the Mission on track.”
I experienced this immersion firsthand as I worked with my team to find the correct mix of liquid hydrogen and oxygen for the rocket’s fuel injectors. With Sarah on the screen in the front of the room, wearing her blue flight suit, checking in on our progress, I could see how students get so invested. The level of teamwork, the problem-solving needed—the stakes feel real. No wonder some kids finish the Mission feeling like they’ve just worked at NASA.
Making STEM Accessible for All
Challenger Center’s goal is to inspire kids with STEM, help them find a passion for science, and show them that they belong in these fields. But inspiration only works if students have access to these experiences. Physical Challenger Learning Centers provide immersive, in-person Missions, but our Virtual Missions extend that reach to students who might never have the opportunity otherwise.
Sarah started as a Flight Director in Maine during the pandemic, a time when engaging kids remotely felt like an uphill battle. Our Virtual Missions became a lifeline for students who were disengaged from online learning and a way for our Centers to keep serving the students in their communities. But the value of Virtual Missions extends beyond remote education. “We work with schools that have two students, six students,” Sarah explained. “Some schools serve ten surrounding towns but have only twenty students. Getting to Bangor isn’t feasible for them. Virtual Missions give these kids a chance to experience that moment of being scientists or mission controllers. And their teachers bring them back year after year—it’s become part of their curriculum.”
These kinds of hands-on experiences have a profound impact on students. “I once worked with a small, elementary school here in Maine,” Sarah recalled. “Afterwards, a first-grade girl told her teacher she wanted to be an engineer when she grew up. The teacher was floored—they had never even discussed engineering as a concept or career before.”
Leading the Way for the Next Generation of Women in STEM
For Sarah, that story hits close to home because of how important representation is to the STEM field. “I think about the young girls watching me and how they perceive me,” she said. “I try to be the best version of a woman in science I can be for them. That means being authentic, warm, and encouraging. I make sure to call on them, to tell them they’re doing a great job, to create space for their voices.”
Even if it’s just for the duration of a mission, she wants every student—especially young girls—to know there is a place for them in STEM. “I want them to feel welcome in this space. I want them to know that I’m so glad they’re here on this Mission with me today.”
Bringing the Mission Home
Sarah’s own scientific curiosity keeps her learning. “I’m taking an online graduate course through the American Meteorological Society,” she told me. “I get to learn the hard science behind climate science and figure out how to make it accessible for students. I feel so lucky that as a Flight Director, I get to learn and play every day—it’s incredibly fun.”
Meanwhile, my team and I faced our own learning curve during Destination Moon. An emergency required us to think fast and troubleshoot on the fly. One task on the Engines team had me struggling—activating a thruster at just the right moment was a humbling test of my coordination. My teammates gave me tips, helping me get the timing right. My redemption came when we had to course-correct the lander. “We have to fire the engines in reverse,” I realized and explained to my team. “There are no brakes in space, so we have to pulse in reverse to slow ourselves down.” When our simulated rocket landed safely on the Moon, the cheers from our team were genuine. The challenge was real, so the sense of accomplishment was too.
“My favorite part of every Mission is the very end,” Sarah admitted. “During the debrief, we talk about what’s happening at NASA right now and how it connects to what the students just experienced. We talk about the real careers, the real scientists out there who are doing this work. The students ask incredible questions, and you can see them making connections to their own interests. I love seeing what sparks their curiosity.”
Sarah nurtures that spark of love for STEM every day. And after my own experience in Mission Control, I can confidently say—she’s keeping it burning bright in Bangor.
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