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Media Contact: David Perry, (415) 693-0583
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This document and all Chabot Space & Science Center news releases may be found online at www.chabotspace.org under Press room.

Spaceflight: Journey to the Stars

New Exhibit Organized by Chabot Space & Science Center
On exhibit March 16 - June 9, 2002

(Oakland, CA, February 25, 2002) — Explore the past, present and future of space travel in Spaceflight: Journey to the Stars, an exhibit organized by Chabot Space & Science Center in Oakland with artifacts on loan from NASA. Visitors can imagine themselves as astronauts as they climb into a space capsule, try to land a lunar module on the moon, tour the Solar System, view a Mercury spacesuit, and see models of rockets and spacecraft. The history and accomplishments of space exploration are seen through NASA models of rockets and spacecraft, a timeline, and other hands-on exhibits. Visitors to the new exhibit will discover how human exploration and scientific endeavor have brought us to a dynamic point in space flight history. 

Spaceflight: Journey to the Stars opens on March 16 and will remain on exhibit through June 9, 2002. After that date, elements of the exhibit will be installed in various venues throughout the Center. In September, Spaceflight: Journey to the Stars will be reassembled and expanded to once again go on display in the Center’s galleries.

The human attraction to space exploration is linked to a desire to understand ourselves and the Universe around us -- a curiosity about what’s "out there." Though still in its early stages, the U.S. space program has contributed to a greater understanding of the physical nature of the Universe, as well as leading to such innovations as Velcro and microwave ovens. Spaceflight: Journey to the Stars includes models of spacecraft and rockets from early missions such as Mercury, Gemini and Apollo; current missions to explore comets, Saturn and Mars; the Space Shuttle; International Space Station, and other NASA programs. 

Find out what space exploration was like for early astronauts in a life-size replica of the Mercury capsule -- at 7’ long and 6’ diameter about the size of an elevator. Mercury, the first U.S. spaceship, carried astronauts into space between 1961 and 1963, speeding along hundreds of miles above the Earth at up to 18,000 miles per hour. A scale model of the Mercury-Redstone Rocket used to launch several of the spacecraft is also on display. The Mercury spacesuit, which received oxygen from hoses attached to the spacecraft, had laced boots, a helmet that attached to a collar ring, and gloves, and was cooled with an external fan carried by the astronauts.

After Mercury, Gemini was literally the “next step” into space, its two-astronaut crew the first to dock two spacecraft and venture out on “spacewalks.” Somewhat larger than the Mercury capsule, the Gemini spacecraft was nevertheless simpler to maintain and maneuver. Launched by the Titan II rocket, Gemini was 19 feet long, 10 feet in diameter, and weighed about 8,400 pounds.

The Apollo spacecraft carried astronauts to the Moon, landed them on its surface, and returned them safely to Earth. Included is a small scale model of the three-part Apollo spacecraft. The craft includes the Command Module, with the crew’s quarters and flight control systems; Service Module, for the propulsion and spacecraft support systems; and Lunar Module, to transport crew to the lunar surface, support them there, and return them again to lunar orbit. 

The three-staged Saturn V rocket, seen in a scale model, was designed to send astronauts to the Moon. At 363 feet high and over six million pounds, it remains the largest operational launch vehicle ever built. The vehicle could send 120 tons of spacecraft into Earth orbit or 45 tons to the Moon.

The current state of the art of space flight is seen in a model of the Cassini-Huygens spacecraft, which will pay the first visit to Saturn since 1981, when Voyager II passed by. Cassini-Huygens will orbit the gas giant for four years and study the planet, its rings, and its moons. Early in the mission, the Cassini orbiter will drop a probe—Huygens—onto Saturn’s largest moon, Titan. The joint US and European Cassini-Huygens mission was launched on October 15, 1997, and will arrive at Saturn in 2004.

Stardust, the first U.S. space mission dedicated to exploring a comet, was launched in February 1999 and will rendezvous with Comet Wild 2 (pronounced “Vilt”) in January 2004. It will collect dust from the comet and also from a newly discovered stream of interstellar dust entering our solar system from the direction of Sagittarius. The exhibit shows a 1/25 model of Stardust, the first robotic mission that will bring back extraterrestrial material from outside the orbit of the Moon. Stardust will return and parachute its collected samples to Earth in a 125-pound reentry capsule in January 2006. 

The Mars Odyssey spacecraft (seen in a scale model) is currently on a three-year mission to collect data on the planet’s climate and geology, and will help determine if there was ever life on Mars. For the next five years, the orbiter will also help future robotic missions to Mars, acting as a communications relay. Launched in April 2001, the spacecraft reached Mars in October 2001, and is now in orbit 250 miles over the Martian surface. 

A 1/10-scale model of the Hubble Space Telescope shows our new “Eye in the sky,” which allows an unparalleled clear view of the cosmos from above Earth’s atmosphere. Hubble has transmitted images of infant galaxies and the birth and death of stars, and its observations have yielded proof that black holes exist and refined our knowledge of the age and size of the universe. 

Part spaceship, part ferryboat, the Space Shuttle (seen in a 1/50-scale model) takes off like a rocket, can be maneuvered in space, lands like an airplane, and can be used again and again. The spacecraft, called the “orbiter,” is about the size of a DC-9 commercial jetliner. The orbiter shuttles people and cargo between the Earth and orbit, and can also be used as an observation post and a fully equipped laboratory. 

Visitors are invited to explore an activity area based on the Destiny Laboratory, which was carried to the International Space Station in February 2001 by the Space Shuttle Atlantis. At 28’ long, 14’ wide, and 31,000 pounds, Destiny is the main module of the ISS, which will eventually contain six such labs. The crew runs everything from Destiny, and there is room for scientists from around the world to perform experiments. 

The International Space Station (seen in a 1/50 scale model), when completed, will be larger than a football field and weigh more than a million pounds. The ISS will have almost an acre of solar panels to provide electrical power to six state-of-the-art laboratories, and will be inhabited continuously by a full-time crew of up to seven. The ISS, with an expected lifetime of ten years, will orbit 250 miles above the Earth, where it will be able to observe 85 percent of the Earth’s surface and 95 percent of the human population. 

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. 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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