Pressroom Story

Blast off to Adventure with Planet Next NASA Event

In Brief:

Title: Visitors to RMSC Blast Off to Adventure with New NASA-related Program for Families

Location: 657 East Avenue, Rochester, NY 14607

Dates/Times: Friday, July 20–Sunday, July 29: 12–4pm

Admission: Free with regular Museum admission: $12 adults, $11 seniors and college students with ID, $10 children (3-18), free for children under 3 and RMSC members

Detailed Information: www.rmsc.org; Facebook; Twitter (@rocRMSC)

ROCHESTER, NY—This July, visitors to the Rochester Museum & Science Center (RMSC) explore next steps in space travel during a unique event created for families by families. Experience Planet Next: Where are we going, and how will we get there? from 12–4pm on Friday, July 20 through Sunday, July 29. This program is part of the RMSC centennial celebration as the Museum honors its past and demonstrates that discovery goes on.

"Planet Next is being created by families from the Genesee Community Charter School with assistance from students from the Rochester Institute of Technology," said Steve Fentress, director, Strasenburgh Planetarium, RMSC. "This new experience is part of the RMSC's 'NASA Science and Technology on the Family Calendar' program, supported by a competitive grant from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. The project engages entire families in creating hands-on, NASA-related activities for the RMSC community. In the coming year, other NASA-related events will be presented by family groups from other selected urban and suburban schools who are meeting regularly with RMSC educators and RIT students."

During Planet Next: Where are we going, and how will we get there?, visitors will participate in several activities. Visitors can play with LEGO NXT robots outfitted as planetary rovers and drive them on a simulated planetary surface. They can also make changes in the rover structure or computer program to meet the challenges of obstacles and slippery spots like those faced by real rovers on Mars. Visitors can also draw a space comic with design markers, either his or her own or one started by a friend or fellow visitor. Also, visitors can try out a sophisticated 3-D computer controller to make virtual flights over the moon, Mars, and through the solar system.

Planet Next: Where are we going, and how will we get there? opens on the forty-third anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing and ends just a few days before the arrival of the new Curiosity rover on the planet Mars, linking the achievements of the past with the space frontiers of today.

Programs are free, unless otherwise specified, with regular Museum admission: $12 adults, $11 seniors and college students with ID, $10 ages 3 to 18, free for children under 3 and RMSC members. For group reservations and rates, call (585)697-1942. Programs take place in the Museum unless otherwise specified. Check www.rmsc.org for updates. This program is based upon work supported by NASA under grant award NNX10AD87G.

A key component of the centennial celebration, Planet Next: Where are we going, and how will we get there? demonstrates the RMSC strategy of engaging families and promoting conversation and learning together.

Rochester Museum & Science Center (RMSC) receives major funding from Monroe County. RMSC includes a planetarium, nature center and science/regional history museum. The Rochester Museum & Science Center stimulates broad community interest and understanding of science and technology, and their impact—past, present, future—on our lives. For more information about RMSC, visit www.rmsc.org. Find us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter (@rocRMSC).

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