The Star Wars Adventure Experience
February 9-May 4
Could cars that hover above ground be the mass transit of the future? Will we ever have droids like C-3PO in real life? Fantasy and reality join forces in Star Wars: Where Science Meets Imagination. This is the first exhibition to showcase costumes and props from all six Star Wars films while exploring cutting-edge research and modern technologies in progress.
Far from being a movie exhibit, Star Wars: Where Science Meets Imagination invites students to step beyond the movie screen and trade the role of spectator for that of an engineer. They will get absorbed in hands-on experiences, discovering how robots and landspeeders exist in the world of Star Wars, what kinds of cutting edge transports may already be just around the corner, and how doctors and bioengineers are making amazing artificial limbs like Luke Skywalker’s hand into real, modern day prosthetics.
Students will learn about the important roles of creativity, imagination and science in developing increasingly sophisticated real-world technology in areas such as medicine, manufacturing and transportation. They will even build their own speeders and robots using LEGO® components and magnets and test their creations on a magnetic track in one of two large Engineering Design labs.
Don’t Miss the Millennium Falcon
Your class, like Han Solo and Chewbacca, can experience the jump to lightspeed for themselves with a 4-1/2 minute journey through the galaxy on board a full-size replica of the cockpit of Episode IV’s Millennium Falcon, equipped with a three-dimensional BOSE® 3Space™ audio system. An additional fee of $5 can be paid at the attraction; seating is available on a first come, first served basis. The Falcon accommodates up to seven persons at a time, so please allow sufficient time if your class wishes to take advantage of this amazing interactive experience. Our reservationists can help you plan your visit. May the Force be with you!
Presented nationally by Bose.
Presented locally by PECO.
Free Public Show
Lasers, Phasers and Lightsabers
February 9-May 4
This special show, developed by The Franklin Institute to complement Star Wars: Where Science Meets Imagination, looks at the science behind the sword. Instructors will use lasers and plasma to demonstrate the properties of energy and to discuss whether or not lightsabers can be made in the real world. This show is not specifically part of either the Star Wars or Galactic Adventure packages, but is free with admission and available to all classes on a first come, first serve basis. For show times, check the daily programs sheet when you arrive.
The Joel N. Bloom Observatory
Let us introduce your students to a personal aspect of stargazing in the Institute’s rooftop observatory. A member of the Museum’s education staff will be on hand to explain how the telescopes work. This observatory is specially equipped for safe daytime viewing, and weather permitting, students may be able to see the Sun, Moon and Venus.
Tuttleman IMAX Theater
Space Station
Blast off into space with the astronauts and cosmonauts from the Kennedy Space Center and Russia’s Baikonur Cosmodrome, and rendezvous at their new home in orbit,
220 miles above the Earth. See full description on Tuttleman IMAX Theater.
Spectroscopy Hands-on Workshops
Even students still searching for “the Force” can learn to make and use tools like a spectroscope which helps us see the hidden patterns within the glow of light from the planets. This light carries information about its source and can provide hints about the atmospheres that shroud planets in the “Known Galaxy.”
Grades 3–5
How do astronomers learn the secrets of the stars? Through the use of light! Although from far away all stars appear to emit the same white light, stars actually give off white, red,
orange, yellow and blue light, creating a pattern that contains information about the star. Students make their own spectroscopes and view these patterns to learn how the properties
of light help us crack open the secrets of stars.
Grades 6–8
Did you know that stars have fingerprints? The light that radiates from within a star creates a unique color spectrum, or “fingerprint,” that we can see using a spectroscope.
This fingerprint gives us distinctive information about the chemical elements in its source. Students learn how different elements produce different patterns, and practice using their
own spectroscopes to identify a mystery gas.
Grades 9–12
Astronomers study stars by analyzing waves of electromagnetic energy that they emit. These waves are found all along the electromagnetic spectrum—including in the visible region, which
is studied with spectroscopy. Students make their own spectroscopes and learn how to display and analyze the visible light spectrum, using various light sources and gas tubes to explore
how different elements create different spectra.
Space Command
Blast off on a voyage of discovery in this futuristic low- Earth-orbit research station, with its 30 interactive bays.
Presented by Lockheed Martin
Fels Planetarium
Recommended for grades 3–12. Shows last 25-30 minutes. Minimum group size: 30 (fewer if other groups have reserved; maximum 200). Reservations required. Book with Experience Package or à la carte. For complete Planetarium show listing see The Fels Planetarium.
Presented by Lockheed Martin
Far, Far Away: The Worlds of Star Wars
February 9-May 4, 2008 only
Developed to complement the Star Wars exhibit, Far, Far Away looks for evidence of climatic and geological extreme in the solar system. Note: This show lasts 45 minutes.
Bioworlds: Life Beyond Earth
Part of the Galactic Adventure Experience, Bioworlds looks at what kinds of strange environments might be capable of supporting life on other planets and moons.