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."

CHABOT SPACE & SCIENCE CENTER — Indoor stargazing in planetarium, outdoor viewing through telescopes, daily screenings in the megadome theater, interactive exhibits and learning center. On exhibit Planetary Landscapes: Sculpting the Solar System; Your Place in the Universe; Astronomy in California 1850-1950; International Space Station HAB-LAB. Current Planetarium shows: Supernova: The Seeds of Creation (Tues.-Sun.) and The Sky Tonight (Fri.-Sat. eve.). Screening in MegaDome Theater: Antarctica (Tues.-Sun.); SOLARMAX (Fri.-Sun.); To Be An Astronaut (Tues.-Fri.). Open Tues.-Sat. 10am-5pm, Sun. 12 noon-5pm. Planetarium and Theater shows Fri.-Sat. 7pm-9pm. Observatory hours Fri.-Sat. 7pm-10pm. 10000 Skyline Blvd., Oakland. (501) 336-7300. www.chabotspace.org

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 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)

Starting Saturday, January 6:
Supernova: The Seeds of Creation — 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)

During February . . .
Follow the Drinking Gourd — In honor of Black History Month, this video projection on the Planetarium dome traces how stars were used to guide the Underground Railroad, a secret network of people and places that hid escaping slaves on their dangerous journey to freedom. Among the Railroad conductors was a sailor named Peg Leg Joe, who taught the slaves a seemingly harmless folk song, "Follow the Drinking Gourd." Hidden in the lyrics were directions for following the Underground Railroad. The Drinking Gourd refers to the Big Dipper, which points to the North Star—and the road to freedom. (In February, Tuesday - Friday at 1pm)

January - February 2001 Planetarium schedule:
Monday: CLOSED
Tuesday - Friday: Supernova: The Seeds of Creation – 11am, 12 noon, 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.

Antarctica – The film transports viewers to the mysterious icy expanse of the highest, driest and coldest continent, home of penguins, seals and other exotic life forms. (Tuesday - Friday, 11:30am, 3pm, 7:30pm; Saturdays 10:30am, 12:30pm, 2:30pm, 4:30pm, 7:30pm; Sundays 1:30pm, 3:30pm)

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 8:30pm; Saturdays 11:30am, 1:30pm, 3:30pm, 8:30pm; Sundays 12:30pm, 2:30pm, 4:30pm)

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)

January - February 2001 Tien MegaDome Theater screenings:
Monday: CLOSED
Tuesday - Friday: To Be An Astronaut - 10:30am, 1pm; Antarctica - 11:30am, 3pm
Saturday: Antarctica - 10:30am, 12:30 pm, 2:30 pm, 4:30 pm; SOLARMAX - 11:30am, 1:30pm, 3:30pm
Sunday: SOLARMAX - 12:30pm, 2:30pm, 4:30pm; Antarctica - 1:30pm, 3:30pm
Friday and Saturday evenings: Antarctica - 7:30pm; SOLARMAX - 8:30pm

Weekend Spotlight: Robotics
Every Saturday and Sunday, January 6 - 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.

** Through January 31, 2001, submit a name for our K'NEX Vox Centurion Robot to win two Movit Soccer'bot kits!

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; 2:30pm - 4pm on Saturdays and Sundays.

January 6 - 7	Robot Factory -- Use your imagination to create a robot out of recycled items such as film canisters, colored paper, and styrofoam peanuts! When it's all glued together, you can take your robot home to do your bidding.
Sat., Jan. 6	Robot Course Challenge -- Learn how to program a robot to navigate a maze.
Sun., Jan. 7	Peanut Butter and Jelly Robot -- Command human "robots" in a series of activities.
January 13 - 14
Sat., Jan. 13	Soccer Robots -- Play robotic soccer, without using your feet.
Sun., Jan. 14	Robotic Arm Docking -- Turn your friend into a robotic arm to accomplish your docking mission.
January 20 - 21	Sat., Jan. 20 Roger Gilbertson demonstrates his Cye Robot.
	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., Jan. 21	MazeBots -- Help the robot in the computer find its way home!
January 27 - 28
Sat., Jan. 27	Robot for a Day -- See whether you've got what it takes to be a robot.
Sun., Jan. 28	Lego Mindstorms -- Experiment with programmable Lego robots.
February 3-4
Sat., Feb. 3	Robot Course Challenge -- Learn how to program a robot to navigate a maze.
Sun., Feb. 4	End Effectors -- Simulate an essential part of a robot to test out and take home.
February 10-11
Sat., Feb. 10	Peanut Butter and Jelly Robot -- Command human "robots" in a series of activities.
Sun., Feb. 11	Robotic Arm Docking -- Turn your friend into a robotic arm to accomplish your mission.
February 17-18
Sat., Feb. 17	Soccer Robots -- Play robotic soccer, without using your feet.
	2-2:30pm Ralph Fingerspelling Hand Demonstration (see Jan. 20 description)
Sun., Feb. 18	Robot for a Day -- See whether you've got what it takes to be a robot.
February 24-25
Sat., Feb. 24	Chabot Robotics Expo. -- Robot enthusiasts from around the Bay Area share their creations
Sun., Feb. 25	MazeBots -- Help the robot in the computer find its way home!

2001 Distinguished Lecturer Series
Presented on the third Thursday of the monththrough 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, January 18, 7:30pm lecture, Tien MegaDome Theater
$ 8.75 (Advance tickets available by calling (510) 336-7373, or online at www.ticketweb.com

Dr. Timothy Ferris: Life Beyond Earth
People have speculated about life beyond Earth since the dawn of history. What's new is that we have now begun to acquire the tools necessary to replace some of these speculations with fact. Timothy Ferris, author of the upcoming book Life Beyond Earth and host of the two-hour PBS special of the same title, reports on the status of the search for extraterrestrial life and explores how we can best learn whether we are alone in the cosmos. Professor Ferris has selected the first movement of the 2nd Brandenburg Concerto, conducted by Karl Richter for the Munich Bach Orchestra, as his musical prelude. This same recording was sent with the Voyager spacecraft on its long journey through our Solar System. About the lecturer: Timothy Ferris is the author of ten books - among them the best sellers The Whole Shebang and Coming of Age in the Milky Way, which were named by the New York Times as two of the leading books published in the 20th Century. Ferris wrote and narrated two television specials - "The Creation of the Universe," which has aired in network prime time annually for the past 15 years, and "Life Beyond Earth," which premiered on PBS Nov. 10, 1999. He produced the Voyager phonograph record, an artifact of human civilization launched aboard the Voyager interstellar spacecraft in 1976, and was among the journalists selected as candidates to fly aboard the Space Shuttle in 1986. Professor Ferris has taught in five disciplines at four universities, and is emeritus professor at the University of California, Berkeley.

Thursday, February 15, 7:30pm lecture, Tien MegaDome Theater
$ 8.75 (Advance tickets available by calling (510) 336-7373, or online at www.ticketweb.com)

Dr. Jill Tarter of the SETI Institute: SETI 2020: A Roadmap for Future SETI Observing Projects
The search for extraterrestrial intelligence could succeed tomorrow, or it may be an endeavor for multiple generations. Dr. Tarter will discuss the SETI Institute's plans for research for the next few decades, which include continuing and expanding the radio search, beginning searches for optical and infrared pulses, and building an omni-directional sky survey array capable of detecting strong, transient radio signals from billions of stars. Although we are a very young technology in a very old galaxy, our radiation continues to outshine the Sun at many frequencies and we remain detectable to others. When our use of the spectrum becomes more efficient, it will be time to consider deliberate transmissions and the really tough questions: Who will speak for Earth? What will they say? Maybe by then we will be old enough to find some answers. About the Lecturer: Dr. Tarter received her undergraduate degree in Engineering Physics from Cornell University and her Ph.D. in Astronomy from the University of California at Berkeley. As a graduate student at Berkeley she became involved in a small commensal search for radio signals from extraterrestrial civilizations using the Hat Creek Observatory 85 foot telescope. That project, SERENDIP, underwent many stops, starts and overhauls (and is still ongoing), and provided a natural introduction to the newly formed Search for Extrater-restrial Intelligence (SETI). Dr. Tarter heads the SETI Management Group at the SETI Institute.

2001 Lecture Series in Education: "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 January 9, March 13, and May 8.

Tuesday, January 9, 5pm reception; 5:30pm lecture; Teacher Research Center, Dellums Building (Free)

Catherine Lewis, Ph.D., Mills College Department of Education
Educating Hearts and Minds: How Have Teachers Led Science Education Reform In Japan?

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 audio tapes help guide the viewer through the station.

KDFC Listener Party: A Heavenly Night at Chabot Space & Science Center
Thursday, January 25, 6:30-9:30pm
Tickets: $30 (parking is included)
Tickets available by calling (510) 601-8932

KDFC brings "Music of the Spheres" to Chabot Space & Science Center for a Listener Party to benefit the CSSC Educational Resource Center. Guests will be serenaded by live classical music as they enjoy light hors d'oeuvres, wine and beverages with a constellation of KDFC Classical 102.1 on-air personalities in CSSC's spectacular facilities. The exclusive private party includes shows in the Ask Jeeves Planetarium and Tien MegaDome Theater, telescope viewing from the Observatory, and full access to exhibits and hands-on activities.

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