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The American Museum of Natural History announced an online SpaceFest to
celebrate the launch of the first U.S. human mission to
space in nearly a decade, as the crew of the SpaceX Dragon
spacecraft is scheduled to launch
on May 27 from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida
headed to the International Space Station (ISS).
Beginning at 11 am EDT on May 27, SpaceFest at
Home will offer a series of online engagements that will
immerse participants in the science of space travel—past,
present, and future. These will include a special edition
of the Museum’s Scientists at Home program in
which Museum Curator Ruth Angus will discuss how imagination
has led to scientific innovation—including human missions to
space, a fun at-home space activity for children on
the Museum’s science website for kids OLogy, and
a live guided virtual flight that will let viewers
blast off from Earth and travel to the ISS and beyond while
discussing what it takes to plan a trip to space.
The festival will culminate in a watch party of the
launch itself, featuring live commentary from Hayden
Planetarium Director Neil deGrasse Tyson, Museum
astrophysicist Jackie Faherty and Museum Curator
Michael Shara.
SpaceFest programming,
which will be accessible via individual links available at amnh.org/calendar/spacefest, includes:
Note that all times are EDT.
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11 am: Scientists at Home:
Imagining Space Exploration:
Join Museum Curator Ruth Angus as she examines the
awe-inspiring leap from imagination to scientific
achievement in space exploration. From novelist Jules
Verne to astronaut Neil Armstrong, learn
how some of the most creative minds spurred unique
scientific accomplishments, including human missions to
space.
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Get inspired by this dynamic presentation to illustrate your
own dream of space travel! The May 27 OLogy Challenge, an
at-home activity for students from the Museum’s science
website for kids, will launch during the program. Submit
your illustration for a chance to be featured on the
Museum’s OLogy website!
·
1 pm: Field Trip: Spaceflight
Live Watch Party:
Ride along with the Museum’s Director of Astrovisualization Carter Emmart and astrophysicist Jackie Faherty on
their mission from Earth to the International Space Station,
to the Moon, and beyond. Like
mapping out a cross-country car trip, sending humans into
space takes a lot of planning. Weather,
distance, detours, traffic, and sightseeing all come into
play. Experience the thrill of space flight, see the
sites, and discover what goes into planning a successful
mission to space.
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4:05 pm: The Future of Space
Exploration with Neil deGrasse Tyson:
Watch the SpaceX Crew Dragon launch live from NASA’s Kennedy
Space Center with commentary from Hayden Planetarium
Director Neil deGrasse Tyson, Museum astrophysicist Jackie Faherty
and Museum Curator Michael Shara as they discuss the future
for human missions to space.
Viewers interested in asking questions for Neil or Jackie
to answer live can send their queries in advance to publicprograms@amnh.org.
American Museum of Natural History (amnh.org)
The American Museum of Natural History, founded in 1869, is
one of the world’s preeminent scientific, educational, and
cultural institutions. The Museum encompasses 45 permanent
exhibition halls, including those in the Rose Center for
Earth and Space and the Hayden Planetarium, as well as
galleries for temporary exhibitions. It is home to the
Theodore Roosevelt Memorial, New York State’s official
memorial to its 33rd governor and the nation’s 26th
president, and a tribute to Roosevelt’s enduring legacy of
conservation. The Museum’s five active research divisions
and three cross-disciplinary centers support approximately
200 scientists, whose work draws on a world-class permanent
collection of more than 34 million specimens and artifacts,
as well as on specialized collections for frozen tissue and
genomic and astrophysical data and on one of the largest
natural history libraries in the world. Through its Richard
Gilder Graduate School, it is the only American museum
authorized to grant the Ph.D. degree and also to grant the
Master of Arts in Teaching degree. Annual visitation has
grown to approximately 5 million, and the Museum’s
exhibitions and Space Shows are seen by millions more in
venues on six continents. The Museum’s website, mobile apps,
and massive open online courses (MOOCs) extend its
scientific research and collections, exhibitions, and
educational programs to additional audiences around the
globe.
Visit amnh.org for
more information.
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