McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center

Reach for the Stars: Help Launch the Discovery Center’s
Next Chapter

For the first time in 12 years, the McAuliffe-Shepard
Discovery Center is embarking on a bold, visionary transformation—and we
need your help to make it a reality.

This NH Gives, be part of something truly stellar:
help us reimagine our Exhibit Gallery and ignite a love of space,
science, and exploration in generations to come.

Why Now?

Since opening our doors in 2009, the Discovery Center has
welcomed hundreds of thousands of curious minds—students, families, and
explorers of all ages. Over the years, we’ve updated exhibits as resources
allowed, but now it’s time for something bigger: a full-scale, future-focused
renovation.

With your help, we're launching a multi-year,
state-of-the-art redesign—a complete overhaul of our exhibit galleries,
guided by professional designers and grounded in the latest in science
education and immersive learning.

Our Mission Is Clear

The McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center exists to inspire
every generation to reach for the stars through engaging, artful, and
entertaining experiences that explore astronomy, aviation, Earth, and space
science.

This renovation will allow us to bring that mission to life
in powerful new ways—creating exhibits that are dynamic, inclusive, and built
to evolve with the needs of our visitors for years to come.

Your Donation Today Sparks Tomorrow’s Discoveries

This one-day campaign is your chance to shape the future of
STEM learning in New Hampshire. Every contribution made during NH Gives moves us closer to:

Designing
immersive exhibits that bring the universe to life

Building
interactive experiences that make learning joyful and lasting

Inspiring
a new generation of scientists, explorers, and dreamers

Let’s build a place where curiosity never stops and
discovery never ends.

Give today. Share the mission. Spark wonder.

Thank you for supporting the McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery
Center—where science takes flight and futures are launched.

Who We Are

The McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center is New England's own air and space museum, dedicated to New Hampshire space pioneers Christa McAuliffe and Alan Shepard. Centrally located in Northern New England, our mission is to inspire every generation to reach for the stars, through engaging, artful and entertaining activities that explore astronomy, aviation, earth and space science. Our vision is to be a sustainable memorial that will engage minds, make learning fun, and inspire people of all ages to pursue lifelong learning about our universe.

Located right off I-93 in Concord, NH and open year-round, the 45,000-square-foot Discovery Center offers exhibits on astronomy, aviation, earth science, space science, space exploration history and general exhibits on science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM); planetarium shows for all ages; pre-K-12 school field trips; workshops for children, adults and families including a lecture series, summer STEM camps, a home school STEM workshop series, after-school programs, telescope observation nights; an annual aviation and space festival; Scout overnight adventures; visits from astronauts, scientists and engineers; facility rentals for meetings, weddings, bar/bat mitzvahs, proms and more. We are dedicated to reaching beyond our walls, through online learning, distance education and educational outreach that includes a portable planetarium, telescopes and air rockets;