Space Odyssey Exhibit Experience


The SPACE ODYSSEY Exhibit Experience


DENVER—Immerse yourself in the universe. Challenge your thinking. Talk space. And have an out-of-this world experience! Space Odyssey is a dynamic educational experience featuring the latest knowledge and research from space.

Coors Visitor Center to the Universe:
Emerging from an 86-foot-long entry corridor with dramatic views of the cosmos, you enter the Coors Visitor Center to the Universe. This area is filled with an exciting variety of exhibits, programs, educational demonstrations and activities. Museum Galaxy Guides wearing futuristic space costumes greet you as you enter and help you find things for the whole family to enjoy. They host your journey of space science discovery, sharing information and performing science demonstrations that will help you understand the latest space science information.

Coors Visitor Center to the Universe Components:

  • Mission Board: Get the latest space science news via satellite. Learn about day-to-day activities in space and get a running update of upcoming and ongoing space missions.
  • Shuttle Docking: Maneuver a frictionless space shuttle model via remote control and see if you can successfully steer and dock with the International Space Station. Learn about momentum, inertia and the challenges of carrying out tasks in space environments.
  • Stellar Evolution: Build your own star and watch its life cycle from birth to death. You may end up with a red dwarf—or a black hole! Compare your star to the Sun and see real images of stars like yours. Find out what a “stellar nursery” is and what nuclear fusion means for stars.
  • Orbits Explorer: Create your own solar system or figure out how the space shuttle orbits Earth. Place models of the Sun, planets, moons, satellites, comets and asteroids on a series of moving concentric rings. In the process, you’ll learn about Kepler’s laws-the physics that govern orbiting objects.
  • Exploring Light: Experiment with filters and prisms, split and mix light and learn about one of the fundamental tools of astronomy: analyzing the spectra of distant objects such as stars and galaxies.
  • Seeing the Sun: See the Sun the way astronomers do. View multiwavelength images of our Sun that are updated daily and learn how astronomers track sunspots, coronal mass ejections and solar wind. Find out what we learn about our nearest star from radio waves, infrared light, visible light, ultraviolet light and X rays.
  • Infrared Experiments: See with “infrared eyes” and experience how surfaces (your own skin, glass, metal and cloth) reflect and absorb heat. These experiments will trigger your interest in infrared photography, how light works and how scientists learn about the materials and temperatures of distant objects in space.
  • Space Screen: Enjoy an ever-changing montage of inspiring space images and animations on this giant, high-resolution screen. It showcases images from the Hubble Space Telescope, the Chandra X-ray Telescope, robotic orbiters and landers, as well as other cameras and observatories. The Space Screen is also where visitors will congregate to view major televised space events.
  • AstroTot Training: Young Museum visitors can try on space suits and take over the controls in a mock shuttle cockpit, complete with illuminated buttons, switches, screens and impressive sounds. Children may also create puppet shows, play space games and expand their imaginations by playing in a Moon crater.
  • InfoLounge: Take a break and explore space in-depth and on your own. Videos and DVDs, books for all ages, magazines, space artifacts and activities promote reflection and conversation. While you relax, explore digital images collected by the Museum’s space scientists.

Mars Outpost
In the Mars Outpost area of Space Odyssey, you’ll get the chance to role-play, experiment, and explore as you imagine yourself on the Red Planet.

Mars Outpost Exhibit Components:

  • Candor Chasma Diorama: Get an up-close view of Candor Chasma, a part of the “Grand Canyon of Mars,” as you imagine living and working on Mars. In the distance, 30,000-foot cliffs dwarf anything found on Earth. Nearby, buttes and rock formations look both familiar and exotic, and the tools of space exploration lie close at hand. Space-suited performers bring this otherworldly scene to life several times each day. The astronauts will be carrying out “research” on Mars, and you’ll be able to ask them questions.
  • Robotic Rover: Can you successfully program a robotic rover in the Mars diorama to reach its designated targets? Learn why robotic assistance is both crucial and challenging in space.
  • Experiment Bar: Feel like you’re a scientist on Mars. Look for evidence of water. Model your own Martian landscape and see what it would look like from orbit. Analyze soil samples with a video microscope. Find out about core sampling. Hunt for hidden reservoirs of water using radar. Search for signs of life.
  • Cratering: Make your own crater. First, position the camera. Next, fire a ball into a huge bin of sand. Finally, watch the playback of the impact in slow-motion video. Simulate your experiment on a computer or increase its size to see how bigger impacts can have catastrophic effects. You’ll have a greater understanding of how impacts shape the surfaces of planets and how craters gives clues to a planet’s age and environment.
  • High-Altitude Probe: Pilot a digital probe and “fly” over actual, high-resolution images of the surface of Mars while taking surveillance photos of craters, dunes and channels. Your mission: Search for and analyze key terrain features on Mars and report back to Mission Control.
  • Carving Landscapes: Get involved in one of the biggest debates in planetary science: the role of water on Mars. Use flowing water to carve landforms in simulated Martian soil. Then, search for similar patterns in photos of Mars. Were they also carved by water?

Educators and Performers
Space Odyssey is an active learning experience—not a static environment. The exhibition is hosted by educators and live performers called Museum Galaxy Guides. They ensure that your visit is personalized to your interests, and they make the magic of Space Odyssey come alive with the most recent space science news.

Here are some of the ways Museum Galaxy Guides will engage you and encourage you to explore space science in new and unique ways.*

  • Astronaut Field Report: Space-suited performers bring the Candor Chasma diorama to life several times each day. Watch them carry out research “on Mars.” They’ll engage you in lively dialogue.
  • Stage Plays and Informal Street Theater: Space Odyssey’s Galaxy Stage will debut with four science shows. Check the marquee inside Space Odyssey to get details on the major programs on the day of your visit. Performances include

    • EarthSmart Training: Pretend you’re an astronaut cadet and get a mission briefing. You’ll learn how astronauts recognize Earth’s weather patterns, geologic features, fires and volcanic eruptions from space.
    • Space Today: Hear highlights of current events in space during this simulated TV newscast. At times, newscasters will come right into the audience to gather opinions. Stories are brought to life with stunning images from space.
    • Living in Space: Learn some of the human issues of space travel in this short, engaging play about living and working in an orbiting space station. After the show, you’ll get to try on space gloves and inspect space food and other tools of the trade.
    • Zero G Training: Learn how astronauts train for microgravity. Then, participate in a demonstration with a mock space shuttle and tiny camera to find out why astronauts and other objects appear weightless in space.

*Note: Program titles and content will change over time to reflect timely and newsworthy topics.

  • Spotlight Demonstrations and Science Stunts: When a spotlight comes on, hurry over! A Museum Galaxy Guide will help you learn something new. Demonstrations cover various topics including the Doppler effect, orbits, constellations in 3-D space, phases of the Moon, craters, the Sun, spectroscopy, infrared imaging and the chemical composition of stars and nebulae.
  • Astronomy Readings: Meet a “fortune-teller” who will ask you for your zodiac sign. Instead of finding out about your personality, you’ll find out about the black holes, supernovas, nebulae, galaxies and stars in “your” corner of the sky.
  • Storytelling Programs: Experience space lore from different cultures. Get the Cat-in-the-Hat’s interpretation of space. Count the stars. Explore the International Space Station. Engaging media, props and fantastic storytellers bring space-related storybooks alive.
  • Activity Carts: See great artifacts such as meteorites, space food and astronaut clothing. Perform experiments. Make art projects. There’s always something new to do!

Relevant and Changing Content
Space Odyssey is committed to current topics and space news. Staff and volunteers get daily briefings and share what they learn with visitors. Exhibits and programs incorporate the latest data and pictures. Visitors participate in ongoing scientific debates. Each time you visit, Space Odyssey will be different as it comes alive with information as fresh as today’s headlines.

  • Wireless Laptop Computers: A wireless network brings the world of space science as close as your fingertips. Talk with Museum Galaxy Guides while viewing important images of space. Learn about the most interesting space science Web sites, then (if you want) have those Web sites e-mailed to your home where you can continue your Space Odyssey learning experience.
  • Space Science Digital Collection: View key images and videos selected and collected by Museum space scientists. You can access the information in the Museum’s InfoLounge and with Museum Galaxy Guides in the exhibition. Students may also access the digital collection in the El Pomar Space Education Center, a state-of-the-art Museum classroom.

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