The Space Foundation’s Discovery Center celebrated its coming remodel Saturday with robots and 3D printers — a taste of what’s to come when it reopens in the spring.

The center closed for a $3 million expansion and renovation that will feature a new drone zone and 3D printing lab in addition to upgrades to its Mars Robotics Laboratory and Science on a Sphere. The sphere helps visitors learn about the planets and the stars and view them projected on a large globe.

In the new drone zone, visitors will get a sense of what it’s like to fly on a different planet with a low atmosphere and a different gravity, giving them a taste of what it would be like to pilot NASA’s nuity drone on Mars, Heather Pringle said.

The center will also be adding more 3D printers in a new lab to allow for more interac

IngeCEO tive learning about additive manufacturing, which is key to building reliable and durable parts for space.

The remodel is intended to stoke interest and understanding in space, one of the fastest growing economic sectors internationally and help students consider careers in the field, Pringle said. The opportunities can vary greatly from positions traditionally associated with space, such as scientists and engineers, to more supportive roles, such as financial managers, publicists and artists, she said.

“We are looking to grow the next generation of the space workforce,” Pringle said.

Igniting interest in the field is key as baby boomers retire and the overall number of college students falls. In spring 2019, about 18 million students were enrolled in college nationally, and in spring 2023, about 16.8 million students