On Sept. 19, from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. CDT, media are invited to attend the “International Observe the Moon Night” at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center — the official visitor center for NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center, both in Huntsville, Alabama.
The event highlights the global observation of the moon through hands-on activities, exhibits and presentations provided by staff from the Space & Rocket Center, the Marshall Academic Affairs Office and the Marshall Planetary Missions Program Office, as well as local informal education providers including the Sci-Quest Science Center and the Von Braun Astronomical Society. Scheduled activities include viewing the 20-minute feature “Earth’s Wild Ride,” inside an inflatable planetarium dome, photo opportunities using green screen kiosks and an inflatable movie screen to watch the movie “Big Hero 6.”
Guest speakers and presenters include Renee Weber, planetary scientist at the Marshall Center; children’s science show host Janet Ivey and her “Tour of the Solar System” program; Science magician Darrell Osborne; and Brian Day, acting project manager for NASA’s Solar System Research Virtual Institute at the Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, California. Day will join Marshall education specialist Scott Anderson via video on NASA’s Digital Learning Network. Day served as the public outreach lead for several NASA moon missions, including Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer (LADEE) and the LCROSS lunar impactor mission; which discovered deposits of water ice on the moon’s South Pole.
News media interested in covering the event should contact Kim Newton in the Marshall Public & Employee Communications Office at 256-544-0034 no later than 4 p.m. Sept. 18.
