If it’s April, that must mean it’s time for Exploration Place’s “Spring Spaceout”, also known as AstroFest 2007! Kansas’ largest celebration of National Astronomy Day is on Saturday, April 21 from 10am - 2pm, and is a packed fun-filled day of activities, demonstrations, special guest lectures, and digital space theater shows for the whole family, celebrating the amazing world of astronomy, the planets, and space exploration. Learn from experts about what’s in the night sky tonight, the latest discoveries about the planets, how to set up and use a telescope, fly through asteroids and land on Mars in our CyberDome Theater, and even look through a telescope in the daytime to see live gigantic solar storms! You can even win a great telescope!

Special pricing will be in effect that day, making visiting Exploration Place astronomically affordable that day! Admission to Exploration Place, including the CyberDome shows for the day is only $7 for adults. Call 316-263-3373 for more details!

The keynote speaker for AstroFest 2007 is Dr. Dan Durda of the Southwest Research Institute in Boulder, Colorado, speaking in the Kemper Creative Studio at 2pm. His research specializes in asteroids, meteor impacts, and searching for undiscovered minor planets in the inner solar system. Dr. Durda is also an accomplished space artist, holds a pilot’s license, and is an expert underwater cave diver. He also is a hiker, caver (spelunker) and geologist. Dr. Durda will be speaking about, among other things, his efforts on working with NASA to plan a manned mission to a nearby asteroid.

Another great lecture will be by Steve Arnold of the Brenham Meteorite Company, speaking at 3:30pm. Steve Arnold, a Wichita native, is a professional meteorite hunter and the founder of the Brenham Meteorite Company. Steve specializes in recovering meteorites from Kiowa county, Kansas that have been buried for thousands of years underground. In October 2005, Steve made one of the greatest meteorite discoveries of modern times, when he unearthed the largest meteorite of its kind known to exist, weighing in at over 1,400 pounds. Today at Exploration Place, Steve will be relaying his adventures as a meteorite hunter, including how he finds these ancient space rocks, and detailing his latest finds.

Andrew Shaner, of the University of Arizona, will speak at 12pm. Andrew is a graduate student at the University of Arizona and team member of the Phoenix Mars Mission, the next mission to Mars, due to launch this August. Andrew will give an overview of the Mars Phoenix mission and its lander, which will study the surface and atmosphere near the north pole of Mars. Andrew is a graduate of Wichita State University and Northwest High School.

Other activities during AstroFest include:

Telescope (Meade ETX-80) and Astronomy Magazine subscription giveaway (entries will be eligible for a nationwide giveaway for an LX-200R telescope!)
Solar observing, outside main entrance (weather permitting)
Buzz Liteyear Space Station Moonwalk outside. 10am-2pm
Astronomy Bingo & Straw Rocket Making
Crater Making and Moon on a Stick
Planetary Water Weight
Ask An Astronomer Booth
Computer Stations
Kansas Astronomical Observers presenting “How to Use a Telescope”

CyberDome Theater Schedule of digital space theater shows:

10:30am: Chirpie’s Magical Sky
11am: Secret of the Cardboard Rocket
12pm: Cosmic Collisions
1pm: Stars Over Kansas
2pm: Cosmic Collisions
3pm: Black Holes
4pm: Pink Floyd: Dark Side of the Moon

The Observatory is 25 years old! Come and join us for our silver anniversary as we compare what astronomers knew about the universe when we opened in 1981, with what we believe to be true today.

For the deep sky theme we will look at a binary or double star, a star forming region, a star cluster, and a galaxy through our 16 inch telescope and talk about how our understanding of each of these objects has changed during the last 25 years.

The Observatory is 25 years old! Come and join us for our silver anniversary as we compare what astronomers knew about the universe when we opened in 1981, with what we believe to be true today.

For the deep sky theme we will look at a binary or double star, a star forming region, a star cluster, and a galaxy through our 16 inch telescope and talk about how our understanding of each of these objects has changed during the last 25 years.

On selected clear nights, anyone with a 35mm single-lens reflex camera with a removable lens can take an astronomical photographs with the Observatory’s Telescope. Automatic camera without a manual override cannot be used to take astronomical photos . Digital cameras with a tripod mount (a threaded hole on the bottom of the camera) may also be used for the moon and planets.

For this photography program ISO 400 or 800 color film is recommended.

The Observatory is 25 years old! Come and join us for our silver anniversary as we compare what astronomers knew about the universe when we opened in 1981, with what we believe to be true today.

For the Moon and Planet Theme we will look at the Moon, Uranus, Neptune and a star with planets as we discuss recent missions to the moon, the Voyager 2 mission to Uranus and Neptune, and the discovery of extra-solar planets.

The Observatory is 25 years old! Come and join us for our silver anniversary as we compare what astronomers knew about the universe when we opened in 1981, with what we believe to be true today.

For the deep sky theme we will look at a binary or double star, a star forming region, a star cluster, and a galaxy through our 16 inch telescope and talk about how our understanding of each of these objects has changed during the last 25 years.

The Observatory is 25 years old! Come and join us for our silver anniversary as we compare what astronomers knew about the universe when we opened in 1981, with what we believe to be true today.

For the deep sky theme we will look at a binary or double star, a star forming region, a star cluster, and a galaxy through our 16 inch telescope and talk about how our understanding of each of these objects has changed during the last 25 years.

On selected clear nights, anyone with a 35mm single-lens reflex camera with a removable lens can take an astronomical photographs with the Observatory’s Telescope. Automatic camera without a manual override cannot be used to take astronomical photos . Digital cameras with a tripod mount (a threaded hole on the bottom of the camera) may also be used for the moon and planets.

For this program 800 or faster speed film, telephoto lens, and cable release are required.

The Observatory is 25 years old! Come and join us for our silver anniversary as we compare what astronomers knew about the universe when we opened in 1981, with what we believe to be true today.

For the deep sky theme we will look at a binary or double star, a star forming region, a star cluster, and a galaxy through our 16 inch telescope and talk about how our understanding of each of these objects has changed during the last 25 years.

The Observatory is 25 years old! Come and join us for our silver anniversary as we compare what astronomers knew about the universe when we opened in 1981, with what we believe to be true today.

For the Moon and Planet Theme we will look at the Moon, Uranus, Neptune and a star with planets as we discuss recent missions to the moon, the Voyager 2 mission to Uranus and Neptune, and the discovery of extra-solar planets.

The Observatory is 25 years old! Come and join us for our silver anniversary as we compare what astronomers knew about the universe when we opened in 1981, with what we believe to be true today.

For the Moon and Planet Theme we will look at the Moon, Uranus, Neptune and a star with planets as we discuss recent missions to the moon, the Voyager 2 mission to Uranus and Neptune, and the discovery of extra-solar planets.

The Observatory is 25 years old! Come and join us for our silver anniversary as we compare what astronomers knew about the universe when we opened in 1981, with what we believe to be true today.

For the deep sky theme we will look at a binary or double star, a star forming region, a star cluster, and a galaxy through our 16 inch telescope and talk about how our understanding of each of these objects has changed during the last 25 years.

The Observatory is 25 years old! Come and join us for our silver anniversary as we compare what astronomers knew about the universe when we opened in 1981, with what we believe to be true today.

For the deep sky theme we will look at a binary or double star, a star forming region, a star cluster, and a galaxy through our 16 inch telescope and talk about how our understanding of each of these objects has changed during the last 25 years.

On selected clear nights, anyone with a 35mm single-lens reflex camera with a removable lens can take an astronomical photographs with the Observatory’s Telescope. Automatic camera without a manual override cannot be used to take astronomical photos . Digital cameras with a tripod mount (a threaded hole on the bottom of the camera) may also be used for the moon and planets.

For this photography program ISO 400 or 800 color film is recommended.

The Observatory is 25 years old! Come and join us for our silver anniversary as we compare what astronomers knew about the universe when we opened in 1981, with what we believe to be true today.

For the Moon and Planet Theme we will look at the Moon, Uranus, Neptune and a star with planets as we discuss recent missions to the moon, the Voyager 2 mission to Uranus and Neptune, and the discovery of extra-solar planets.

The Observatory is 25 years old! Come and join us for our silver anniversary as we compare what astronomers knew about the universe when we opened in 1981, with what we believe to be true today.

For the Moon and Planet Theme we will look at the Moon, Uranus, Neptune and a star with planets as we discuss recent missions to the moon, the Voyager 2 mission to Uranus and Neptune, and the discovery of extra-solar planets.

The Observatory is 25 years old! Come and join us for our silver anniversary as we compare what astronomers knew about the universe when we opened in 1981, with what we believe to be true today.

For the deep sky theme we will look at a binary or double star, a star forming region, a star cluster, and a galaxy through our 16 inch telescope and talk about how our understanding of each of these objects has changed during the last 25 years.

The Observatory is 25 years old! Come and join us for our silver anniversary as we compare what astronomers knew about the universe when we opened in 1981, with what we believe to be true today.

For the deep sky theme we will look at a binary or double star, a star forming region, a star cluster, and a galaxy through our 16 inch telescope and talk about how our understanding of each of these objects has changed during the last 25 years.

It’s an exciting time for educators and students. Before the end of the next decade, NASA astronauts will return to the moon. This time, we’re planning to stay, building outposts and paving the way for eventual journeys to Mars and beyond. Today’s students will be tomorrow’s explorers. How will space exploration benefit their lives in the future?

That’s the question this competition asks of students ages 11-18. The first NASA 21st Century Explorer Podcast Competition challenges students to create unique audio and video podcasts. The topic? How will space exploration benefit your life in the future?

Running from September 1 through October 10, 2006, this competition is open to United States citizens ages 11-18. Students are grouped into two age divisions: 11-14 and 15-18. Each division will have two separate categories: audio podcast and video podcast. First, second, and third place prizes will be awarded in each category and age group. An additional “People’s Choice Award” will honor one podcast for each age division.

Students may choose to create several podcasts, but only one entry may be submitted for each person. More details and the entry form can be found at the 21st Century Explorer Podcast Competition website at www.explorationpodcast.com. Students under 18 need written consent from a parent or guardian.

All work needs to be original. Any use of copyrighted material will disqualify the entry.

Time is short. The competition begins September 1 and ends after the first 1,000 entries are submitted in each category OR at midnight on October 10, whichever comes first.

Winners will be announced at the 2nd Space Exploration Conference in Houston, TX on December 6, 2006.

Encourage students to grab their iPods and thinking caps and peer into their futures. This is a wonderful opportunity to take a close look at where space exploration may take 21st Century explorers!

Feel free to pass this email on to your education and public outreach contacts. We want to get as many entries as possible (a maximum of 1000 per category). If you have any questions, please contact Chris Giersch at c.giersch@larc.nasa.gov.

The Mojave, California Spaceport is preparing to handle test flights of the SpaceShipTwo – a passenger carrying suborbital craft, according to Bill Deaver, editor and publisher of the Mojave Desert News.

The newspaper on Thursday cited recent comments from Burt Rutan, head of Scaled Composites – the firm working to build the spaceship and its giant mothership, White Knight 2.

…

“I expect we will see at least two space flights a day in the next few years,” Rutan said, noting that the spacecraft and the launch vehicles he is designing “will be able to make two flights per day,” the newspaper story stated.

We didn’t get our flying cars for the start of the 21st century, but it looks like private spaceflight is well on its way!