Coffee at the Cosmo - How Pop Culture was Affected by Space Exploration

Coffee at the Cosmo on Thursday, August 20, will be about how Pop Culture was affected by the space program. The presentation will be at 9 a.m. at the Kansas Cosmosphere and Space Center and is free and open to the public. Coffee and pastries will be served.

Cosmosphere CEO and Director Chris Orwoll will discuss America and the world's fascination with space travel, the space program and the eventual "spin-offs" with the imaginative efforts of the science fiction community and the entertainment that was created as a result.

Here are just a few of the artifacts you'll see:

- Lunchboxes from 1950's to recent
- Tang related promotional products surrounding the drink's use on space missions
- Soviet-era Soyuz chess set
- Tin toys made in Japan to commemorate Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo
- Apollo commemorative dog toys
- G.I. Joe and Barbie space paraphernalia


Those attending will have an opportunity for a close-up look at the artifacts, and time to ask questions.

Coffee at the Cosmo is every Third Thursday at 9 a.m., and is free to the public. If you can't attend in person this month, it will be online live at www.cosmo.org/webcast.htm.

The Kansas Cosmosphere and Space Center is a non-profit organization dedicated to enhancing patrons' knowledge of space exploration. Educating people from around the globe, the Cosmosphere boasts the Hall of Space museum, one of the most significant collections of U.S. and Russian space artifacts in the world; the Justice Planetarium, a dome-shaped classroom where attendees learn about astronomy; Dr. Goddard's Lab, a live demonstration of early rocket technology; the Carey IMAX® Dome Theater, the 12th IMAX® theater built in the world; and summer astronaut training camps. For more information visit www.cosmo.org.