Cover items and bulletin boards in metallic sheets of foil. This will create the illusion of being inside a space shuttle. Layer the foil for added effect, and to add richness to the texture. Cover any walls and doors that will be part of your space shuttle. Aim for a layered effect, rather than trying to cover an area with a single large piece of foil sheet.
Post a large picture of Earth on one of your walls. On the same wall, add the other planets in the form of large cutouts. Working with that one wall, add stars and pictures of the galaxy. Frame the wall with black butcher paper strips that are two inches wide. This will create what appears to be the window of your space shuttle.
Create the cockpit of your space shuttle. Using a large poster board or cardboard cutout, draw a cockpit with control panels, crew seating and windows. Add many compartments by drawing several squares on your surface. Each square should contain a graph or chart of some kind. Add number pads using markers and pencils, and create many bright, colorful buttons. Place the cockpit on a small table covered with a black tablecloth. Keep the cockpit in the center of the room.
Arrange your desks into a circle or horseshoe shape to serve as a command center. In the middle, place a podium next to the cockpit. If you have limited space, leave the desks in rows and add names to the desks. Ask students to create name tags with military ranks; for example, "Commander Barnes." Have the students make name tags with construction paper. Let the students decorate the name tags with markers and tape them to the front of their desks.
Name your classroom after one of the shuttles. Write the name in large letters on card stock. Cut each letter out and punch a hole at the top of the letters. Run a three-foot string through each hole and hang it by taping the opposite end of the string to the ceiling. Place the name near the front of your classroom door.
Create a table chart detailing the history of your space shuttle and post it on a bulletin board. The table chart should include important missions, launch date, duration and distance.