Press Room

This document and all Chabot Space & Science Center (CSSC) news releases may be found online at www.chabotspace.org under Press Room.

Following is a sample calendar listing for Chabot Space & Science Center — under "Science & Technology," "Nature," "Things To Do," or "Attractions." Please also consider listing CSSC events under "Kids," "Films" and "Lectures."

CSSC's Ask Jeeves Planetarium brings the night sky to life! More than 9,000 stars are projected overhead by our fiber-optic Zeiss Universarium Mark VIII star-ball, one of the most advanced star projectors in the world. Additional special effects simulate eclipses, supernovae, black holes, and other celestial events, and a laser system brings constellations and other objects to life, augmented by a 15,000-watt, 6-channel surround-sound system. The Ask Jeeves Planetarium seats 240 people under a 70-foot diameter dome, and features live and pre-recorded shows. Led by professional astronomers and accompanied by music, planetarium shows at Chabot Space & Science Center are both entertaining and educational.

The Sky Tonight — A guided tour of the current stars, constellations, and planets presented live by CSSC's Director of Astronomy Jose Olivarez. Following the program, audience members can search the night sky through the historic telescopes in the CSSC Observatories. (40 min.; Friday and Saturday evenings at 7:30pm)

Supernova: The Seeds of Creation — through April 6. A show on the death and birth of stars recreates one of the most destructive dramas in the universe: the brilliant explosion that ends the life of a star, as its cosmic debris produces the beginnings of a whole new cluster of stars. (Friday and Saturday evenings at 8:30pm; Daytime shows — Tuesday - Friday at 11am, 12 noon, 2pm, 4pm; Saturday at 11am, 12 noon, 1pm, 2pm, 3pm, 4pm; Sunday at 1pm, 2pm, 3pm, 4pm)

Wonders of the Milky Way — April 7 - May 4. Journey through the Milky Way on a musical tour that includes the birth of the universe and the creation of our galaxy. (Friday and Saturday evenings at 8:30pm; Daytime shows — Tuesday - Friday at 11am, 12 noon, 2pm, 4pm; Saturday at 11am, 12 noon, 1pm, 2pm, 3pm, 4pm; Sunday at 1pm, 2pm, 3pm, 4pm)

Mars Quest — May 5 - August 3. Delve into our history and fascination with the Red Planet, from Martian superstition to plans for manned Mars missions. Narrated by Patrick Stewart of Star Trek fame. (Friday and Saturday evenings at 8:30pm; Daytime shows — Tuesday - Friday at 11am, 12 noon, 2pm, 4pm; Saturday at 11am, 12 noon, 1pm, 2pm, 3pm, 4pm; Sunday at 1pm, 2pm, 3pm, 4pm)

Monday:	CLOSED
Tuesday - Friday:	Supernova: The Seeds of Creation — 2pm, 4pm
Saturday, day:	Supernova: The Seeds of Creation— 11am, 12 noon, 1pm, 2pm, 3pm, 4pm
Sunday, day:	Supernova: The Seeds of Creation — 1pm, 2pm, 3pm, 4pm
Friday & Saturday evenings:	The Sky Tonight — 7:30pm; Supernova: The Seeds of Creation — 8:30pm

Discover stars, planets, and colorful nebulae clearly visible in the night sky with CSSC's powerful refractor telescopes. The impressive 20" telescope, named Rachel, is the largest refractor in the western U.S. regularly open to the public. The 8" Alvan Clark refractor, named Leah, is the original 1883 instrument donated by founder Anthony Chabot.

Mysteries of Egypt — Experience the magic and majesty of Egypt as never before. Soar over the great pyramids of Giza, cross the deathly quiet Valley of the Kings, and descend into the shadowy chambers of the sacred tomb of King Tutankhamun. (Tuesday - Thursday, 11:30am, 3pm; Fridays, 11:30am, 3pm, 8:30pm; Saturdays 10:30am, 12:30pm, 2:30pm, 4:30pm, 8:30pm; Sundays 12:30pm, 2:30pm, 4:30pm)

Solarmax — The story of humankind's struggle to understand the Sun. Travel around the world to historical sites of sun worship, learn from scientists studying the Sun, and view a total solar eclipse. West Coast Premiere. (Fridays 7:30pm; Saturdays 11:30am, 1:30pm, 3:30pm, 7:30pm; Sundays 1:30pm and 3:30pm)

To Be An Astronaut — Follow the rigors of astronaut training, the frantic countdown of missions, and the heart-stopping launch into space. Shot entirely on location at NASA. (Tuesday - Friday, 10:30am, 1pm)

Monday:	CLOSED
Tuesday - Friday:	To Be An Astronaut — 10:30am, 1pm; Mysteries of Egypt — 11:30am, 3pm
Saturday:	Mysteries of Egypt — 10:30am, 12:30 pm, 2:30 pm, 4:30 pm, 8:30pm; Solarmax — 11:30am, 1:30pm, 3:30pm,
Sunday:	Mysteries of Egypt — 12:30pm, 2:30pm, 4:30pm; Solarmax — 1:30pm, 3:30pm
Friday & Saturday evenings:	Solarmax — 7:30pm; Mysteries of Egypt — 8:30pm

ROBOTICS
Every Saturday and Sunday, through March 31, 2001
12:30pm - 2pm; 2:30pm - 4pm
Chabot Space & Science Center Galleries

Experience robotics at CSSC! Young children, older youth and the young at heart will discover more about this fascinating field of the future through hands-on activities, lectures and demonstrations.

The following activities are offered on a drop-in basis (participants may wander in and out any time): Robot Course Challenge, Peanut Butter and Jelly Robot, Robotic Arm Docking, MazeBots, End Effectors, and Robot Factory.

Same-day sign-in is required for participation in the following activities: Soccer Robots (20 min. duration) and Lego Mindstorms (45 min. duration).

Robot for a Day will occur every 30 minutes, from 12:30pm - 2pm, and 2:30pm - 4pm on Saturdays and Sundays.

March 3-4
Sat., Mar. 3	Peanut Butter and Jelly Robot
Sun., Mar. 4	Lego Mindstorms
March 10-11
Sat., Mar. 10	End Effectors
Sun., Mar. 11	Robot for a Day
March 17-18
Sat., Mar. 17	Robot Course Challenge
	2-2:30pm Ralph Fingerspelling Hand Demonstration — David L. Jaffe, a Research Biomedical Engineer at the Rehabilitation Research and Development Center of the Palo Alto VA Health Care System, will talk about Ralph, a robotic hand that is able to communicate to people who are deaf and blind using fingerspelling. The program includes discussion of fingerspelling and the evolution of the Ralph project, a demonstration, and a video showing a deaf-blind person using the device.
Sun., Mar. 18	Peanut Butter and Jelly Robot
March 24-25
Sat., Mar. 24	Soccer Robots
Sun., Mar. 25	MazeBots
March 31
Sat., Mar. 31	Robotic Arm Docking

ASTRONAUT TRAINING CAMP
Every Saturday and Sunday, April 1 – June 30, 2001
12:30pm - 2pm; 2:30pm - 4pm
Chabot Space & Science Center Galleries

Learn more about the strange effects that humans experience in orbit and beyond by participating in our activities. You can see what it feels like to wear a space suit, or simulate the disorientation of not knowing which way is up. Other weekend days will focus on eating in space, or — everyone's favorite — using the bathroom in space. It will be out of this world!

The following activities are offered on a drop-in basis (participants may wander in and out any time): Equilibrium Training, Space Environment Training, Space Suit Training, Space Station Training, Planetary Training, and Weightlessness Training.

April 1
Sun., April 1	Equilibrium Training— Experience disorientation as the astronauts do.
April 7-8
Sat., Apr. 7	Space Environment Training— Activities demonstrate the near vacuum of space.
Sun., Apr. 8	Space Suit Training— Try to accomplish missions in your bulky new uniform.
April 14 -15
Sat., Apr.14	Space Station Training— Practice eating and breathing and – yes – going to the bathroom on the International Space Station
Sun., Apr.15	Planetary Training— Shows how your weight changes on other planets.
April 21-22
Sat., Apr. 21	Space Environment Training— Activities demonstrate the near vacuum of space.
Sun., Apr.22	Space Suit Training— Try to accomplish missions in your bulky new uniform.
April 28-29
Sat., Apr. 28	Space Station Training— Practice eating and breathing and – yes – going to the bathroom on the International Space Station
Sun. Apr. 29	Weightlessness Training— Drop objects from a height to understand how freefall on earth relates to being in orbit.
May 5-6
Sat., May 5	Planetary Training— Shows how your weight changes on other planets.
Sun., May 6	Space Environment Training— Activities demonstrate the near vacuum of space.
May 12-13
Sat., May 12	Equilibrium Training— Experience disorientation as the astronauts do.
Sun., May 13	Space Suit Training— Try to accomplish missions in your bulky new uniform.
May 26-27
Sat., May 26	Planetary Training— Shows how your weight changes on other planets.
Sun., May 27	Space Station Training— Practice eating and breathing and – yes – going to the bathroom on the International Space Station

Presented on the third Thursday of the month through May 2001, this series gathers some of the finest speakers in science to address topics at the forefront of mankind's search for knowledge, and how that knowledge affects life on Earth. Lectures are preceded by a classical music overture of the presenter's choice.

Thursday, March 15, 7:30pm lecture
Dr. Keith Devlin — How Did Mathematical Ability Evolve?
Mathematics, as we generally understand it, is at most 5,000 years old. (Numbers are at most 10,000 years old.) That's too short a period for any major changes in the human brain. So, when we perform mathematically, we must be using mental capacities that evolved long before mathematics came along. What are those abilities and what survival advantages led to their finding their way into the human gene pool? And if everyone has these abilities - as an evolutionary account will imply - why do so many people find math impossibly hard?

About the lecturer: Dr. Keith Devlin is the Dean of the School of Science at Saint Mary's College of California in Moraga, California, and a Senior Researcher at the Center for the Study of Language and Information at Stanford University. He is the author of 22 books, one interactive book on CD-ROM and over 65 published research articles. You might recognize his voice as the Math Guy on NPR's popular Saturday morning radio magazine Weekend Edition. He also appears on various other NPR radio programs. He was the lead advisor on the PBS television series "Life by the Numbers," and wrote the official companion book for the series, published by John Wiley. His latest book, The Math Gene: How Mathematical Thinking Evolved and Why Numbers Are Like Gossip, was published in August 2000 by Basic Books.

Thursday, April 19, 7:30pm lecture
Dr. Alex Filippenko — The Runaway Universe
Recently, observations of very distant exploding stars have provided evidence that the expansion of the universe is speeding up with time, rather than slowing down as expected. This discovery resurrects the idea of a long-range "antigravity" effect in the universe, first proposed by Albert Einstein, which he later renounced as his "biggest blunder." Could his suggestion have been right after all? Come hear the latest evidence and ideas about this bizarre twist in cosmology.

About the lecturer: Alex Filippenko received his Ph.D. in Astronomy from Caltech in 1984 and joined the UC Berkeley faculty in 1986. His primary areas of research are exploding stars, active galaxies, black holes, and the expansion of the universe. He has won numerous awards for his teaching and research, most recently a Guggenheim Fellowship. In 1998 he produced a 40-lecture video course on introductory astronomy with The Teaching Company.

Thursday, May 17, 7:30pm lecture
Dr. Gibor Basri — The Origin of the Elements
You know that the atoms in your body were somewhere else before you owned them and have been on the Earth since it was formed. But where were they before that? Where, when, and how, were they made in the first place? The Universe did not begin with its current content. How did it get to be this way? Remarkably, modern astrophysics can answer these questions in amazing detail. Professor Basri will tell you the history of your atoms (and those in the lecture hall) at a popular level that you can understand without ever having taken a physics course. He will show pictures of current and past places where atoms are being forged, and how they end up on a place like Earth.

About the lecturer: Gibor Basri is a professor in the Astronomy Department of the University of California at Berkeley. He received his Ph.D. in astrophysics from the University of Colorado at Boulder. His main research interests are in stellar activity, solar and low mass stars and brown dwarfs, and star formation. He is a regular user of the Lick and Keck Observatories and space-borne telescopes such as IUE and the Hubbell Space Telescope. Dr. Basri recently held a Miller Research Professorship at Berkeley. He is a member of the American Astronomical Society, the National Society of Black Physicists, the International Astronomical Union, and the Astronomical Society of the Pacific.

"Connections and Collaborations": Linking Classroom Practices with Research Innovations
A series of free lectures on science education, presented on the second Tuesday of the month, from January 9 through May 8, 2001. Lectures are scheduled on March 13 and May 8. 5pm reception; 5:30pm lecture; Teacher Research Center, Dellums Building — Free

Make your science education a celestial wonder with the educational resources offered at CSSC. Teachers are invited to an open house for a private tour of CSSC's new facility, including exhibits and classrooms, Challenger Learning Center, a look at the Ask Jeeves Planetarium and Tien MegaDome Theater, and refreshments and conversation with staff. Teachers must call ahead at least one week in advance to make a reservation to attend, at (510) 336-7351.

Wander through a kaleidoscope of whirling galaxies and stars to the outer reaches of the universe. Explore natural processes and patterns like craters, volcanoes, and atmospheric turbulence with hands-on exhibits. See the inside of the International Space Station HAB-LAB. All in the Galleries at Chabot Space & Science Center.

Your Place in the Universe — This feast for the senses uses 3-D technologies to give visitors a walking tour of the universe. The exhibit includes the fascinating Hologlobe, a dynamic holographic projection of the Earth's changing atmosphere, oceans, and continents, on permanent loan from the Smithsonian Institution.

Planetary Landscapes: Sculpting the Solar System — Fourteen interactive sculptures, created by renowned artist Ned Kahn, suggest the natural processes that form the landscapes of our Solar System. Wander through a room of swirling atmospheres, bubbling calderas, and a sea of clouds.

Astronomy In California 1850 – 1950: Telescope Makers, Telescopes, and Artifacts — Explore California's rich astronomical history and Chabot Observatory's own 117-year history through a display of telescopes, artifacts, and the histories of their makers, on loan from the Smithsonian Institution.

The Origin and Meaning of Meteorites — This stunning mural by artists Joy Day and B. E. Johnson is accompanied by a case of meteorite samples, where visitors can touch these ancient remnants of the birth of the solar system.

International Space Station HAB-LAB — Walk through a full-sized depiction of the International Space Station's laboratory and living modules in this traveling exhibit from Boeing, which has recently been awarded to CSSC as a permanent exhibit. Two walls represent the Lab elements and the opposite two walls represent items found in the astronauts' living quarters. Accompanying video and audiotapes help guide the viewer through the station.

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