Interactive Gallery Opens Saturday at Cosmosphere

Saturday, April 9, the Kansas Cosmosphere and Space Center is opening a new permanent interactive gallery titled “Investigate Space: Our Universe." It will feature information about unmanned exploration of our Solar System and the Universe and have opportunities for visitors to engage interactively. For example, visitors will be able to drive a virtual Mars rover and fly through space to objects throughout the universe.

To celebrate the opening, Todd Barber of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in California, will offer two different presentations, both free to the public.

At 1 p.m. he will talk about his work on the Cassini-Saturn and Mars missions. At 3 p.m. he will talk about JPL's continued work in unmanned exploration of our Solar System and Universe.

In conjunction with his visit, a full-scale model of the newest Mars rover, Curiosity, is on display at the Cosmosphere through April 29. It is on loan from JPL and will travel to North Carolina and Washington D.C. after it leaves the Cosmosphere. Curiosity was named by a 12-year-old Lenexa student, Clara Ma.

In addition, a model of the Mars rover Sojourner will be part of the new gallery. Another interesting addition will be a 233-pound meteorite on loan from Steve Arnold, who found it on the television show, "Meteorite Men."

No admission ticket is required to see Curiosity or hear Todd Barber. The new gallery is included with your regular admission ticket.

Mars Rover Curiosity Model at Cosmosphere through April 29

A full scale model of the Mars Rover, Curiosity, is on display at the Cosmosphere through April 29. It is on loan from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratories (JPL). Curiosity is scheduled for launch late this year. It will take nine months for it to reach Mars in August of 2012.

Curiosity is a mobile laboratory designed to investigate whether conditions have been favorable for life, and to examine clues in the rocks about possible past life. Curiosity will roam Mars for nearly two years, with a greater range than any previous Mars rover. During that time it will analyze dozens of samples drilled from rocks or scooped from the ground.

Curiosity was named by a sixth-grade Lenexa, Kan., student, Clara Ma. As her prize the 12-year-old won a trip to California where she was invited to sign her name directly onto the rover during its assembly at JPL. She won the honor of naming it by submitting the winning essay.

Much larger than the other three rovers, Curiosity is about nine feet long and weighs 2,000 pounds. Spirit and Opportunity landed in 2004. They were preceded by Sojourner, which landed in 1997.

Curiosity will use 10 science instruments to examine rocks, soil and atmosphere. A laser will vaporize rock from a distance, and another instrument will search for organic compounds. It has mast-mounted cameras to study from a distance, arm-mounted tools to study targets within reach, and deck-mounted instruments to analyze rock and soil samples.

The full-scale Curiosity model is on display in the Cosmosphere lobby. No admission ticket is required to see it.

TIV and Mike Smith at Cosmosphere

The TIV, short for Tornado Intercept Vehicle, will be at the Cosmosphere on Monday, April 11 from 10-7. The TIV is featured on the Discovery Channel show, “Storm Chasers,” and in “Tornado Alley,” now playing in the Cosmosphere’s Carey IMAX Dome Theatre.

“Tornado Alley” includes footage of the TIV inside a tornado. Driver Marcus Gutierrez and Meteorologist Brandon Ivey, both of whom are featured in the show and the movie, will be at the Cosmosphere on April 11. Their appearance is free to the public. Movie tickets are $8 for adults and $7 for children.

The TIV will be at the Cosmosphere all day. The TIV weighs 14,000 lbs and is 106 inches wide, 26 feet long, and 8 ft high without its mast.

A lucky Facebook Fan will win a ride in the TIV through the Cosmosphere’s Facebook Page at www.facebook.com/kscosmosphere. People can also sign up in the lobby of the Cosmosphere.

Schedule for the day - timing may vary slightly

10 a.m. - The TIV arrives

10:30 a.m. - Press Conference

11 a.m. - TIV ride for Cosmosphere Winners

TIV returns to Cosmosphere for viewing

2-4 - TIV Rides for drawing winners

4 p.m. - Meteorologist Mike Smith presents "Miracle at Greensburg" and signs his book

6 p.m. - Marcus and Brandon present about "Tornado Alley"

7 p.m. - Last showing of "Tornado Alley" for that day

Gutierrez served as U.S. Navy corpsman and is now a first-class medic trained in trauma, pediatric cardiothoracic surgery and orthopedics. He has provided emergency support for the TIV team, and is the official driver. Hopefully his medical skills will not be needed for the TIV team in the future.

Ivey has been interested in severe weather since age 16, after the April 26, 1991 tornado outbreak in Kansas and Oklahoma. He became heavily involved in the documentation of weather events about ten years later, after much research about storms. He earned his Broadcast Meteorology Certification in 2006 and a year later received a degree in Geosciences through Mississippi State University.

Smith is one of the world's leading experts in the application of weather science. Meteorologist, entrepreneur, and inventor, he created WeatherData Services, Inc., has been credited with saving countless lives and more than $100 million for his clients and the general public. Prior to founding WeatherData, Smith was a television meteorologist in St. Louis, Oklahoma City, and Wichita. He is a Certified Consulting Meteorologist and a Fellow of the American Meteorological Society. His first book is, “Warnings: The True Story of How Science Tamed the Weather.”

Yuri Gagarin - First Man in Space 50 Year Anniversary - Coffee at the Cosmo April 21, 2011

Coffee at the Cosmo on Thursday, April 21, is entitled, “First in Space: Yuri Gagarin and 50 Years of Spaceflight.” It is at 9 a.m. at the Cosmosphere and is free and open to the public.

Russians were first into space on April 12, 1961, when Gagarin’s Vostok spacecraft completed an orbit of Earth. As the first human in space, Gagarin became an international celebrity.

However, that was to be his only spaceflight. Seven years later, while on a routine training flight, he died in a crash. His body was cremated and the ashes buried in the walls of the Kremlin on Red Square.

The Kansas Cosmosphere has the largest collection of Russian space artifacts outside of Moscow, including a flown Vostok. Gagarin’s flight spurred Kennedy’s famous speech a few weeks later when he declared the US would put a man on the moon, and return him safely, before the end of the decade.

Coffee at the Cosmo is an ongoing series of free presentations at the Cosmosphere. It’s the third Thursday of every month at 9 a.m. and is always free. Enjoy coffee and pastries, meet new friends, and learn something new.

Space 501- A Camp for Adults, too

The Cosmsophere is offering a new camp this year that’s open to adults, as well as those who have completed earlier levels of camps. “Space 501” is slated for June 26-July 2, and will tour multiple space facilities in California.

Space 501 will take you on an unforgettable journey to see the cutting edge of space exploration technology for the future while you soak up the history of what has come before. You’ll travel to California and tour Space X, Jet Propulsion Laboratories, Edwards Air Force Base, Dryden Spaceflight Center, Columbia Memorial Space Center and the aircraft carrier USS Midway. 

Special accommodations are being made for our group at various places, including a behind-the-scenes tour at the Jet Propulsion Laboratories. Interplanetary Engineers at Dryden will take time for some special activities with our group, and at Columbia we’ll lunch with some retired engineers who helped create technology we still marvel at today. Be where the future is being created.

The tour was designed to give you a taste of the history of the space program, the technology putting us into orbit today, and the possibilities for tomorrow. 

Cost of this once-in-a-lifetime trip is only $1950 per person, based on double occupancy. That price includes your travel and food.

The TIV is Coming to the Cosmosphere on April 11

The Tornado Intercept Vehicle, affectionately known to fans of the Discovery Channel show “Storm Chasers” as the TIV, will be at the Cosmosphere on Monday, April 11. A lucky Facebook Fan will win a ride in the TIV through the Cosmosphere’s Facebook Page at www.facebook.com/kscosmosphere, or scan the code below. You can also sign up in the lobby of the Cosmosphere.

The Cosmosphere is now showing the movie, “Tornado Alley,” which includes footage of the TIV inside a tornado. Driver Marcus Gutierrez and Meteorologist Brandon Ivey, both of whom are featured in the show and the movie, will be at the Cosmosphere on April 11 from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Their appearance is free to the public. Movie tickets are $8 for adults and $7 for children.

Gutierrez served as U.S. Navy corpsman and is now a first-class medic trained in trauma, pediatric cardiothoracic surgery and orthopedics. He has provided emergency support for the TIV team, and is the official driver. Hopefully his medical skills will not be needed for the TIV team in the future.

Ivey has been interested in severe weather since age 16, after the April 26, 1991 tornado outbreak in Kansas and Oklahoma. He became heavily involved in the documentation of weather events about ten years later, after much research about storms. He earned his Broadcast Meteorology Certification in 2006 and a year later received a degree in Geosciences through Mississippi State University.

Come and see the TIV and meet Marcus and Brandon on April 11 at the Cosmosphere. Make plans to see “Tornado Alley” while you’re here.

Trivia Contest - Tornado Alley Researchers

Congrats to our email newsletter trivia winner this time - Janina Albertin of Haysville - who was so fast with the answer I had barely glanced away from the computer screen from sending the email.

The question was:
The movie, "Tornado Alley," includes star Sean Casey and other storm chasers. Some of the chasers are scientists gathering comprehensive data on the formation of a tornado. What is the name given to this team of researchers?


Answer: Vortex 2

Tornado Alley opens at the Cosmosphere on Friday, March 18. Don't miss it!

If you'd like to play future trivia games, you can
sign up for the email newsletter and have a chance to win prizes, too.

Congratulations!

Docents Available March 15-19

When visiting the Cosmosphere during tournament week, March 15-19, look for docents in the Hall of Space Museum with buttons declaring, “Ask me.” They are specially trained to answer questions about the exhibits in those areas, and help visitors make the most of their time in the museum.

The Space Race was a complex set of circumstances involving science, technology, engineering and politics, so it’s unreasonable to expect a visitor to grasp it in just a quick visit to the museum. The docents will help steer people toward areas of particular interest or explain things that might be unclear.

This is an added, free, service with your paid admission. Docents will be available in the Hall of Space from 10-12:30 and 1:30 to 4 p.m. each day from March 15-19.

Cosmosphere part of MIT and Smithsonian project

Vanished, a first-of-its-kind, online interactive science mystery event created by MIT and The Smithsonian Institution, will include the Cosmosphere.

From April 4-May 31, 2011, players ages 11-14 will collaborate with Smithsonian scientists, MIT students, and fellow players nationwide to unravel an interactive mystery story. Through games, puzzles, real scientific thinking, and visits to local museums - including the Cosmosphere - they must uncover the truth before time runs out.

If you have, know, or work with children ages 11-14, we hope you'll encourage them to sign up for this exciting event at vanished.mit.edu.

Learn more about Vanished from the USA Today article that appeared on February 22.

Tornado Alley Tickets Now Available

Tickets are now on sale for the opening of the movie, “Tornado Alley,” at the Cosmosphere Carey Imax Dome Theatre on March 18.

It’s a heart-pounding science adventure with Storm Chasers star Sean Casey and the researchers of VORTEX 2 who are making an effort to understand the origins and evolution of tornadoes.

With a 70mm camera, a fleet of customized vehicles designed to withstand gale force winds, torrential rains and unrelenting hail, and an arsenal of the most advanced weather measurement instruments ever created, the stars of Tornado Alley take audiences on a thrilling quest to experience a tornado’s destructive power at point blank range. Adrenaline meets science in nature’s most dramatic phenomena.

Traversing the severe weather capital of the world, “Tornado Alley” documents two unprecedented missions seeking to encounter the birth of a tornado. Filmmaker Sean Casey’s personal quest to capture the birth of a tornado with a 70mm camera takes viewers on a breathtaking journey into the heart of the storm.

A team of equally driven scientists, the VORTEX2 researchers, experience the relentless strength of nature’s elemental forces as they literally surround tornadoes and the supercell storms that form them, gathering the most comprehensive severe weather data ever collected. This science adventure reveals the beauty and the power of some of our planet’s most extreme—and least understood—weather phenomena.

Beginning on March 18, in addition to “Tornado Alley,” the Cosmosphere will be showing “Hubble.”

The free member showings will be April 1, 2 and 3.

To the Moon: Snoopy Soars with NASA at Cosmosphere until May 1

"To the Moon: Snoopy Soars with NASA" is a temporary exhibit at the Cosmosphere about Snoopy’s 40 year plus involvement with the space program. It is from the Charles M Schulz Museum and Research Center and examines the history of Apollo 10 and the Peanuts characters’ role in that flight. It is at the Cosmosphere until May 1.

In 1968 NASA approached Schulz about using Snoopy to encourage safety. Schulz agreed, but stipulated that he would draw Snoopy when he was used. Snoopy proved to be a big success with astronauts and employees. He is even the subject of the Silver Snoopy pin, a highly coveted pin flown on each mission and awarded by astronauts themselves.

In May of 1969 the flight of Apollo 10 was the “dress rehearsal” for the lunar landing that would occur just a few weeks later when man would walk on the moon for the first time. The Apollo 10 crew nicknamed their command and lunar modules Charlie Brown and Snoopy respectively. Astronauts Thomas Stafford and Eugene Cernan piloted “Snoopy” within 50,000 feet of the lunar surface as they scouted the landing area for Apollo 11 while John Young orbited the moon in the command module, “Charlie Brown.”

Snoopy was even the first beagle on the moon, beating the Americans and the Russians. See that famous strip, look at Snoopy as Astronaut toys from the first one to the present day, see a Silver Snoopy Pin, and enjoy the amazing history of NASA's most famous beagle astronaut.

"To the Moon: Snoopy Soars with NASA" is included in the price of your ticket to the Hall of Space museum.

Alan Glines Speaks at Cosmosphere March 26

Alan Glines, one of NASA’s original “Men of Mission Control,” will speak at the Cosmosphere on March 26. He will speak at 10 a.m. and again at 1 p.m. He will sign his book, “A Kansan Conquers the Cosmos,” after each session. The book will be available for purchase in the Cosmosphere gift shop. The presentations are free to the public.

Glines worked at NASA for 13 years, beginning with the Gemini program in 1966 when America was in the space race with the Soviet Union. He also worked on Apollo missions at the height of the manned space program. Glines continued at NASA with the Skylab program before joining private industry in California, and eventually moving to Europe where he worked at the European Space Agency.

Glines book, “A Kansan Conquers the Cosmos,” offers a first-person glimpse into the aerospace industry. It covers his days as a science fiction-obsessed youth who ran a theatre at Kansas University as if it were mission control, to his time at NASA mission control, and beyond.

Over four decades, he acquired an extraordinarily rich tapestry of experience in the aerospace worlds of development and operations, and command and control, exploring no fewer than seven geographical and intellectual career paths.

Glines received his bachelor of science in electrical engineering from Kansas University and a master of science in systems management from University of Southern California. His story is a detailed and unique look at the aerospace industry and continues to inspire people today.

Coffee at the Cosmo - March 17 - Going Green in Space

Coffee at the Cosmo on Thursday, March 17, is entitled, “Going Green in Space.” It is at 9 a.m. at the Cosmosphere and is free and open to the public.

NASA was recycling long before it was trendy. Because of the cost of manufacturing such specialized items, and transporting them into space, NASA always looked for ways to conserve and reuse. Even the Command Module from the famed Apollo 13 mission had items removed for use on future missions. The Cosmosphere was instrumental in gathering the pieces back together for the restoration, and is pleased to have the Command Module on display in the Hall of Space Museum.

Space travel necessitated coming up with ways to get the most from all they were transporting – from food and water to the hardware. Tools often had dual purposes and could be reused.

Coffee at the Cosmo is an ongoing series of free presentations at the Cosmosphere. It’s the third Thursday of every month at 9 a.m. and is always free. Enjoy coffee and pastries, meet new friends, and learn something new.

Upcoming Topics Include:
April 21, 2011 “First in Space: Yuri Gagarin and 50 years of Russian Spaceflight”
May 19, 2011 “From the Sea to the Stars: 50 years of Naval Aviation in Spaceflight”

Come to the Cosmosphere to Watch the Final Launch of Discovery

The Cosmosphere will be showing the last launch of the Space Shuttle Discovery on Thursday, February 24, from 3-4 p.m. It will be shown on a large screen in the Discovery Room at the Cosmosphere. This event is free to the public.


This will be Discovery’s last mission. It was first flown in 1984 and has completed 38 missions, more than any other orbiter in the fleet. Discovery has completed 5,247 orbits and spent 322 days in orbit. Discovery was chosen to fly the “return to flight” missions after both the Challenger and Columbia disasters.

Discovery launched the Hubble Space Telescope in 1990, and carried astronaut John Glenn in 1998 when he became the oldest human being to go into space. It has performed both research and International Space Station assembly missions.

Please be aware that weather or other factors could affect the launch date and time.

The Cosmosphere plans to show the remaining shuttle launches as well. They are targeted for Space Shuttle Endeavour on April 19, and Space Shuttle Atlantis on June 28.

Tornado Alley the Movie is Coming to Cosmosphere

The movie, “Tornado Alley,” is opening at the Cosmosphere Carey Imax Dome Theatre on March 18. It’s a heart-pounding science adventure with Storm Chasers star Sean Casey and the researchers of VORTEX 2 who are making an effort to understand the origins and evolution of tornadoes.

With a 70mm camera, a fleet of customized vehicles designed to withstand gale force winds, torrential rains and unrelenting hail, and an arsenal of the most advanced weather measurement instruments ever created, the stars of Tornado Alley take audiences on a thrilling quest to experience a tornado’s destructive power at point blank range. Adrenaline meets science in nature’s most dramatic phenomena.

Traversing the severe weather capital of the world, “Tornado Alley” documents two unprecedented missions seeking to encounter the birth of a tornado. Filmmaker Sean Casey’s personal quest to capture the birth of a tornado with a 70mm camera takes viewers on a breathtaking journey into the heart of the storm.

A team of equally driven scientists, the VORTEX2 researchers, experience the relentless strength of nature’s elemental forces as they literally surround tornadoes and the supercell storms that form them, gathering the most comprehensive severe weather data ever collected. This science adventure reveals the beauty and the power of some of our planet’s most extreme—and least understood—weather phenomena.

Beginning on March 18, in addition to “Tornado Alley,” the Cosmosphere will be showing “Hubble.”

Snoopy Saturday Photos

Snoopy Saturday February 12

Snoopy Saturday at the Cosmosphere on February 12 is a day of fun activities to celebrate the opening of a new exhibit called “To the Moon: Snoopy Soars with NASA.” Snoopy has a long history with the space program and was even the first beagle on the moon.

From 10-3 on February 12 enjoy free activities including button making, temporary tattoos, a coloring contest, moonwalk and more. Kids will have a chance to make a straw rocket and their own command module. All those activities are free. Download the coloring sheets and get more information at www.cosmo.org/snoopy.

At 1 p.m. cartoonist Richard Crowson will be talking about cartooning and doing some demonstrations. The Wichita Eagle cartoonist was inspired by Schulz who created the Peanuts characters, including Snoopy. Crowson’s presentation is free to the public.

Snoopy will be making an appearance at Snacks with Snoopy at 11 a.m. For only $5 each, you and your child can share some goodies with Snoopy, see what happens when apples and liquid oxygen meet, make and enjoy food similar to what astronauts eat, and have a chance to take your photo with Snoopy. Tickets are limited for this event and can be purchased now by calling 620-662-2305 or 800-397-0330.

The exhibit, “To the Moon: Snoopy Soars with NASA” focuses on Apollo 10, which was the “dress rehearsal” for the moon landing a few months later when man would first walk on the moon. The crew nicknamed the command module and lunar module Charlie Brown and Snoopy respectively.

Of course, Snoopy beat everyone to the moon, making his moon landing in March of 1969. The exhibit will include that famous strip, as well as many other items, including a Silver Snoopy pin. Sliver Snoopy pins, one of the most coveted awards at NASA, have flown on every mission since 1969. They are awarded by the astronauts to people they feel helped significantly with their missions. Less than 1% of the NASA workforce receives one each year.

Snoopy Saturday kicks off the exhibit on February 12. Join us for a host of free activities that day for the whole family, including a free presentation to hear cartoonist Richard Crowson. Admission to the exhibit is included with any museum ticket.

Coffee at the Cosmo - February 17, 2011

Coffee at the Cosmo on Thursday, February 17, is entitled, “To the Moon: Snoopy Soars with NASA – Exhibit Highlights.” It is at 9 a.m. at the Cosmosphere and is free and open to the public.

The Cosmosphere is opening at new exhibit about Snoopy’s 40 year plus involvement with the space program on February 12. The exhibit is from the Charles M Schulz Museum and Research Center and examines the history of Apollo 10 and the Peanuts characters’ role in that flight.

In 1968 NASA approached Schulz about using Snoopy to encourage safety. Schulz agreed, but stipulated that he would draw Snoopy when he was used. Snoopy proved to be a big success with astronauts and employees. He is even the subject of the Silver Snoopy pin, a highly coveted pin flown on each mission and awarded by astronauts themselves.

In May of 1969 the flight of Apollo 10 was the “dress rehearsal” for the lunar landing that would occur just a few weeks later when man would walk on the moon for the first time. The Apollo 10 crew nicknamed their command and lunar modules Charlie Brown and Snoopy respectively. Astronauts Thomas Stafford and Eugene Cernan piloted “Snoopy” within 50,000 feet of the lunar surface as they scouted the landing area for Apollo 11 while John Young orbited the moon in the command module, “Charlie Brown.”

Coffee this month will look at some of the highlights of this travelling exhibit, on display from February 12 – May 1 at the Cosmosphere.

Coffee at the Cosmo is an ongoing series of free presentations at the Cosmosphere. It’s the third Thursday of every month at 9 a.m. and is always free. Enjoy coffee and pastries, meet new friends, and learn something new.

Upcoming Topics Include:
March 17, 2011 “Going Green in Space”
April 21, 2011 “First in Space: Yuri Gagarin and 50 years of Russian Spaceflight”
May 19, 2011 “From the Sea to the Stars: 50 years of Naval Aviation in Spaceflight”

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, one of the first ones built in the world; and summer astronaut training camps. For more information visit cosmo.org.

Trivia Contest - Apollo 10 Lunar Module

Congrats to our email newsletter trivia winner this time - Erv Hertel, who tells me he was a former camper at the Cosmosphere.

He has responded to almost every trivia contest, but this is the first time he has been the first correct answer. Today, he was so quick that I got his answer before I got notice the email had actually been sent! Congrats!

The question was:
What was the nickname of the Apollo 10 lunar module? 

Answer: Snoopy

Make plans to join us for the opening of "To the Moon: Snoopy Soars with NASA," which includes information about the Apollo 10 mission. It opens Feb. 12 and runs through May 1 at the Cosmosphere. Admission to the exhibit is included with your museum ticket purchase.

If you'd like to play future trivia games, you can
sign up for the email newsletter and have a chance to win prizes, too.

Congratulations!

Snoopy Saturday at the Cosmosphere

Join the Cosmosphere February 12 for Snoopy Saturday!

It's the official opening of the exhibit, "To the Moon: Snoopy Soars with NASA." From 10-3 enjoy a host of free activities, including making buttons, straw rockets and more. All free to the public.

At 1 p.m. cartoonist Richard Crowson will speak and do some cartooning demos. That's free to the public.

An extra event is Snacks with Snoopy at 11 a.m. Tickets are only $5 for that - make food similar to what astronauts eat, pose for a photo with Snoopy and see what liquid oxygen can do to an apple. Call 620-665-9347 for your ticket.