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Press RoomMedia Contact: David Perry, (415) 693-0583 Special Programs in February at Chabot Space & Science Center This document and all Chabot Space & Science Center news releases may be found online at www.chabotspace.org under Press room. (Oakland, CA, JANUARY 28, 2002) — This February, Chabot Space & Science Center presents special programs in celebration of Black History Month, a Valentine's Day space rendezvous, classic sci-fi cinema in the MegaDome theater, and a lecture that tries to make sense of puzzles of Relativity. A complete schedule of February programs is available at www.chabotspace.org Black History Month
Follow the Drinking Gourd
Tuesdays - Fridays in February, 1 pm Follow the Drinking Gourd is a video projection on the planetarium dome that tells a secret story of celestial navigation on the Underground Railroad. In the early days of slavery in the United States many slaves tried to escape bondage by fleeing north to Canada. By the 1840s, a loosely-organized group of free slaves and white sympathizers formed the Underground Railroad, a secret network of people and places where escaping slaves could find shelter 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 the directions for following the Underground Railroad. The Drinking Gourd meant the Big Dipper, which points to the North Star -- the road to freedom. Celebration of Black History
Sunday, February 10, 2002, 6 pm - 9 pm Join Chabot Space & Science Center for an evening of performances, storytelling, activities, and a Planetarium show celebrating rich traditions of African American culture. Presented in honor of Black History Month, the evening includes Storytelling with Diane Ferlatte; a dance performance by Skyline High School; "Voices of the Sky" Choir Group; showings of "Follow the Drinking Gourd" in the Planetarium; Constellation activities, Telescope viewing and other activities. For more information, call (510) 336-7300. Classic Sci-Fi in the Tien MegaDome Theater Forbidden Planet
Saturday, February 9, 4 pm & 7:30 pm Chabot Space & Science Center continues it screenings of classic sci-fi films on the huge dome of the theater with Forbidden Planet (MGM, 1956, directed by Fred Wilcox) on Saturday, February 9 and February 16. It is often said that the greatest enemy can be found within the human psyche -- Forbidden Planet shows what can happen when the darkest emotions are allowed to roam free and unabated. Starring Leslie Nielson, Walter Pidgeon and Anne Francis, Forbidden Planet is in fact a sci-fi take-off on Shakespeare's The Tempest. Leslie Nielson captains a ship from Earth that travels to the planet Altair IV to investigate the disappearance 20 years earlier of an expedition to the planet. There they encounter two survivors -- a scientist and his innocent daughter -- and Robby the robot. The scientist has harnessed a means of thought amplification by which dreams and ideas can become reality, ominously manifesting dark subconscious desires -- a technology that annihilated an entire alien race, the Krells. The film's high production values and special effects, and the robot Robby, have made this a classic film of the sci-fi genre. Valentines Day at Challenger Learning Center Valentines Day Mission Thursday, February 14, 6:30 pm – 10 pm Spend Valentines Day out of this world! Take your love somewhere most can't say they've been -- out in space! Experience real-time simulated space travel as a mission specialist or mission controller in a "Rendezvous with Comet Halley" at the Challenger Learning Center. After your rendezvous with the comet, the evening concludes romantically on Earth with wine and dessert. Call (510) 336-7355 for reservations and information, or email clc@chabotspace.org. 2002 Distinguished Lecturer Series Lewis Carroll Epstein -- Relativity Visualized
Thursday, February 21, 7:30 pm Have you ever tried to understand Special Relativity, but not quite grasped it? Have you wondered why you can't go faster than light? What makes time go slow? What makes space shrink? Lewis Carroll Epstein tells some stories that help make sense of puzzling concepts of Relativity. Lewis Carroll Epstein is a popular physics lecturer and author. He has worked on the Saturn Rocket Project with the Chrysler Corporation and helped develop the original large space telescope intended to be orbited by a Saturn rocket. He was a science writer for the New Orleans Express and is currently a physics teacher at San Francisco City College. He has authored two popular books: Thinking Physics and Relativity Visualized. General Information Chabot Space & Science Center is located at 10000 Skyline Blvd., Oakland (in Joaquin Miller Park in the Oakland Hills). Hours for the full complex of galleries and classrooms are Tuesday - Sunday, 10 am to 5 pm; closed Mondays and major holidays. Evening hours for the Planetarium and Theater are Friday - Saturday, 7 pm to 9 pm. Free Telescope Observatory access on Friday - Saturday, 7 pm to 10 pm. General admission to Chabot Space & Science Center is $8.00 adults/$5.50 seniors & children. There is an additional charge for programs in the Ask Jeeves Planetarium and Tien MegaDome Theater. Beginning in February 2002, the first Wednesday of each month will be FREE GENERAL ADMISSION for walk-in visitors, with regular fees for the Theater and Planetarium. (This offer does not apply to group sales or school programs.) Tickets may be purchased at the door, or by calling (510) 336-7373. Advance tickets are also available on-line at www.ticketweb.com or by phone at (510) 601-TWEB. For more information, visit www.chabotspace.org # # # | |||||||||||
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