A few years later than planned, this out-of-the-world experience is about to take off

In a nondescript shopping center at the southwest corner of Central and Andover Road, just past the Slushy Hut and a tiny building serving crepes, there’s an indication that there’s an unusual business at the back of the parking lot.

There’s a life-size replica of a space capsule in front of a small sign that says STEM lab center.

After years of planning and preparation — along with a major delay — the Space Discovery Institute finally is on the verge of opening this month.

“It’s going to be really cool,” said Andover Mayor Ronnie Price.

Price helped the nonprofit center get back on track following the 2021 death of former NASA aeronautical engineer Arthur Eldridge.

The institute had been Eldridge’s dream, said Travis Keyser, whom Price enlisted to spearhead the project.

“This was his vision,” Keyser said of Eldridge. “Unfortunately, we lost him a little too early.”

Eldridge wanted an institute devoted to space that could help kids and even adults learn about science, technology, engineering and math — and discover how interesting space can be.

He had started working on the nonprofit in Andover Square. Then, Keyser said, center owner Bob Kaplan “preserved it for years trying to find somebody to finish what Arthur started.”

“The essence was there,” Keyser said. “Arthur had built a good replica of one of the space pods.”

He’d also started on a replica of the surface of Mars. Now there are several remote-control rovers that kids can operate from a room called Mission Control to see what it’s like to maneuver on Mars.

Keyser said there will be a variety of levels he can program to make it “as easy or as complicated as you want.”

He also moved in one of his space simulators.

He has a hobby simulation company called Simclub LLC that rents aviation-themed simulators among other things.

Keyser said he’s an “aviation enthusiast slash — if you ask my wife — hoarder.”

“I am a geek at heart, and I love everything aviation.”

He passed that enthusiasm to one of his children, Lilyanne, 13.

She’s a senior airman in the Civil Air Patrol’s cadet program and plans a career in the Air Force.

Lilyanne also is serving as secretary on the Space Discovery Institute’s board and is helping her father build the center.

Keyser said she keeps reminding him that what kids want is to have hands-on experiences.

Museums often offer the opposite, Keyser said. He said when his family travels to museums, it’s about looking at something that’s roped off, not participating with it.

“The biggest complaint is you’re always two feet away from cool,” he said. “Kids like to learn by doing. . . . The discovery comes from doing.”

Capturing the essence

When Price approached Keyser about helping, Keyser said Price asked, “What miracles can you do on a shoestring budget?”

“I kind of got the essence of where (Eldridge) was going,” Keyser said.

He now plans full-day camps along with shorter missions, as he called them. A lot of activities will be centered on teamwork with “challenges the group can overcome.”

Older kids can build drones and fly them.

It’s all educational and fun, Keyser said.

There will be 3D printing and agricultural pursuits to show what growing food in space is like.

Keyser plans to open by late this month. He’s still working out pricing.

“Arthur wanted everything to be free,” he said. “We’re trying to make it as close to free as possible. Our consumables are fairly low, but we do have to keep the lights on.”

For that, Keyser said he needs backers. He already has some, including Kaplan and some seed money Cessna Aircraft gave Eldridge years ago and allowed the institute to keep after his death.

“There’s been a lot of people just kind of floating us,” Keyser said.

Though he has added some things that Eldridge didn’t have, such as drones and the agricultural element, he is not completely fulfilling Eldridge’s vision.

“Arthur had a very massive vision. We scaled it down significantly.”

Eldridge wanted adult camps, too, and Keyser said that could happen in a later phase.

It may take some time to get to where Eldridge wanted the institute to be, but Keyser said he hopes he’d be happy it’s finally going to happen at all.

“I hope he would smile.”