World Space Week Blasts off at The Franklin Institute!
The 50th Anniversary celebration features activities for space cadets of all ages!
Honored globally October 4-10, World Space Week is an annual celebration of outer space and the discoveries that help humans realize their place in the universe. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the dawn of the "Space Age", and there's no better place to celebrate than The Franklin Institute. An exciting week of out-of-this-world programming and events includes special guests, shows, and activities for the whole family.
Lectures and Special Guests
The festivities blast off Thursday, October 4 at 7pm with a panel discussion among three Franklin Medal recipients. "Exploring Space in the New Millennium" will bring together Steven Squyres , Principal Investigator for the Mars Exploration Rover Project, former Lockheed-Martin CEO Norman Augustine, and Nobel Prize in Physics winner John C. Mather as they share first-hand knowledge of space exploration.
Reservations are required; $10 for the public, $5 for Franklin Institute members. Call 215-448-1254.
On Friday, October 5 at 7 pm former NASA Astronaut Winston E. Scott will talk about the importance of World Space Week, as well as his fascinating experiences from inside a space shuttle. He will sign copies of his book Reflections From Earth Orbit afterwards. Reservations are required.
Winston Scott
Derrick Pitts, Chief Astronomer for The Franklin Institute, will give two 40-minute public lectures entitled "Eyes On The Universe - How Do Telescopes Work?", which will explore how these simple pieces of glass can do so much. Lectures are in the Joel N. Bloom observatory on Monday, October 8 at 12:45 pm and 4:15 pm and are free with museum admission.
Wrapping up the festivities on Wednesday, October 10 is the monthly meeting of the Rittenhouse Astronomical Society, one of the oldest in astronomical groups in the country. The meeting is always free, and open to the public in the Fels Planetarium.
Steven Squyres (L) and Derrick Pitts (R).
Special Shows
TUTTLEMAN IMAX THEATER
For the first time ever, the Tuttleman IMAX Theater will immerse you in the breathtaking sights of outer space, as astronauts from Kennedy Space Center and Russia's Baikonur Cosmodrome travel 220 miles above the Earth to rendezvous with the International Space Station in the brand new film Space Station.
FELS PLANETARIUM
Making its debut in the Fels Planetarium, Cosmic Collisions is an immersive simulation of the fiery meteorite impact that ended the Age of the Dinosaurs 65 million years ago. Produced by the American Museum of Natural History in partnership with NASA, Cosmic Collisions explores the nature of a meteor explosion, how these crashes have changed the Earth into the planet we know, and how they continue to transform our galaxy and the entire universe.
Also showing in the Fels Planetarium:
Ever wonder if there is life in outer space? Bioworlds: Life Beyond Earth answers that question as it explores what organisms need to survive, and how to locate life on other planets.
Go deep inside the star closest to Earth in Heart of the Sun, a breathtaking portrait of the sweltering surface of the sun and how our understanding of this living star has evolved.
Demonstrations and Special Activities
Activities are planned for Saturday, October 6 - Monday, October 8 from 10 AM - 4 PM
Build an Alka-Seltzer rocket between 1-3 pm in Key Hallway. Always messy and always fun! Take your rocket home, and keep the party going all week!
Learn how to create and read a Star Decoder Chart between 11 am and 1 pm in Space Command.
Discover the science behind being an astronaut in the fun-filled demonstration Space Boot Camp at 1 pm and 3 pm in Space Command.
Try to answer astronomy trivia between noon and 3 pm in Key Hallway to win spacey prizes, including signed photos of NASA astronauts, quality photos of the cosmos, an astronaut patch, or star-gazing binoculars!
Take a tour of the real, NASA-used Lunar Lander on display in the courtyard of The Franklin Institute. Tours leave every hour beginning at 11:15 am until 3:15 pm.
Create your own Sky Map between 12 pm and 3 pm in Key Hallway! Spin the wheel to the current month and day when you get home to determine what stars are out tonight.
Go on an astronomy scavenger hunt through the museum. Maps are available at the Info Desk.
Check out the satellite demonstration in Key Hallway between noon and 3 pm. Then, make your own simulated satellite, just like the ones that orbit the Earth.
ONLY Monday, October 8 from noon to 3 pm in Key Hallway: Learn to tell time with the sun by making your own sun dial!
Special Observatory Hours
The Joel N. Bloom Observatory will be open daily, October 4 - October 10 from 10 am to 9 pm in celebration of World Space Week. (weather permitting)
On Tuesday October 9th the Observatory will be closed from 4-8pm. Cosmic Collisions will be played in the planetarium at 5pm, 6pm, 7pm, and 8pm
Other Details:
World Space Week was declared by the UN General Assembly in 1999. It is celebrated in some 50 nations, from Afghanistan to Vietnam, Uzbekistan to Malaysia. Globally, World Space Week is coordinated by the UN's Office of Outer Space Affairs. For more information, visit www.spaceweek.org.
The United States World Space Week Coordinating Committee was formed in 2006 in Washington, D.C. With members from such notable organizations as NASA, Lockheed-Martin, the National Space Society and the Challenger Center, the goal of the committee is to encourage the celebration and attract more attention to the significance of it.