Presentation Photograph of Space Shuttle Atlantis Inscribed by Jeffrey Hoffman

Presentation Photograph of Space Shuttle Atlantis Inscribed by Jeffrey Hoffman

Photograph of Space Shuttle Atlantis mounted on card, presented to the Challenger Learning Centre Leicester by astronaut Jeffrey Hoffman. It has a handwritten message, which says:

“To the Challenger Learning Center of Leicester May all your missions be successful! Jeffrey Hoffman NASA Astronaut.”

Prior to his astronaut career, Hoffman conducted post-doctoral work at the University of Leicester. He worked on several x-ray astronomy payloads, including the medium-energy x-ray experiment on the European Space Agency's EXOSAT satellite. In 2008 he returned to the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Leicester as a visiting professor.

The Challenger Learning Centre at the National Space Centre was the only one in the UK until it closed in 2019. It was part of a network of Challenger Learning Centers, which provide fully immersive simulated space missions. It was set up by the families of the crew of STS-51-L, who tragically lost their lives when a booster of the Challenger shuttle failed, causing the shuttle to break apart shortly after launch.