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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.

Celebrate the Earth and Stars this Spring at Chabot Space & Science Center

For Immediate Release: March 25, 2002, Oakland, Calif. -- Chabot Space & Science Center welcomes Spring with a calendar of programs celebrating the Earth and stars, including a full week of Spring Break activities. The spring season continues with Astronomy Day on April 20, Earth Day on April 21, and Space Day on May 2. Spring also heralds the kick-off of Chabot's new "Music Under the Stars" concert series in the Planetarium, and features a fundraising gala to benefit Chabot's education programs.

SPRING BREAK — Rockets, Rockets, Rockets
From Saturday, March 30 through Saturday, April 6 (also open Monday, April 1), Chabot Space & Science Center will be open extended hours from 10am – 9pm, with a special Spring Break program.

From Saturday, March 30 through Sunday, April 7, Chabot offers Rockets, Rockets, Rockets, with fun activities that give an introduction to the science of rocketry. Included with general admission, the day's events include drop-in workshops for making and launching Pop Rockets, Water Rockets, Compressor Rockets, and other ways of blasting off. 

In the galleries, a world of space exploration awaits in the new exhibit Spaceflight: Journey to the Stars — take a tour of the Solar System, climb into a full-scale space capsule, land a lunar module on the moon, see NASA models of rockets and spacecraft. Back on Earth, you can journey to Hawaii in the new Ask Jeeves Planetarium show, Explorers of Mauna Kea (Planetarium admission is additional). Chabot's telescopes will be open after dark for viewing the planets Saturn and Jupiter.

ASTRONOMY DAY, April 20
Saturday, April 20 — Free with general admission
Astronomy Day was started by the Astronomical Association of Northern California, based at Chabot Observatory in 1972, and has grown into an international event. Activities throughout the day include the use of solar telescopes, finding your birthday star, telescope making with jello lenses, and learning how telescopes work. 

EARTH DAY, April 21
Sunday, April 21 — Free with general admission
Celebrate planet Earth with a full day of activities throughout the Center, focused around the Envirolab and EnviroGarden. Explore a variety of Earth related topics, including solar energy production, watershed models, atmospheric experiments, native plant propagation, and redwood ecosystem explorations. Other activities will include interactive table experiments and demonstrations provided by local community organizations such as the Friends of Sausal Creek and the Oakland Public Library. A highlight of the day will be a lunchtime theater presentation by Franklin Elementary School of the Oakland Unified School District. Led by teacher Ron Ortman, Franklin School students will present their rendition of "What's for Dinner?" — an entertaining look at the animal food chain. 

SPACE DAY, May 2 — "Adventure to Mars"
Thursday, May 2, 10am – 9pm (extended hours) — Free with general admission
A day and evening of Space Day activities for school groups and other visitors, on the theme "Adventure to Mars." Activities include Mars Exploration CDs and Interactive Web Sites, Have Your Name Sent To Mars, Mars Rover, Build A Mars Spacecraft, and Space Play in the Discovery Lab. A 20-minute slide show on The History of Mars Exploration will screen throughout the day, and Mars Music will be playing over the P.A. system. A Teacher Workshop on Exploring Mars in the Classroom takes place from 4:30–6:30pm; and a Guest Lecturer from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory speaks from 7pm–8 pm. After dark, there will be telescope viewing in the Observatory. 

MUSIC UNDER THE STARS
Take a musical astral journey as you recline in the Ask Jeeves Planetarium while the simulated night sky swirls above. Dmitri Matheny and Friends perform on March 29, and the Kevin Keller Trio appears on April 26. (No regular planetarium shows on concert evenings.)

An Evening of Jazz with Dmitri Matheny and Friends
Friday, March 29, 2002 — Reception at 7pm; Concert at 8pm 
Tickets: $15/$25 (includes CD)
Hailed as the first break-through flugelhornist since Chuck Mangione, Matheny's warm romantic tone has been called "so cool it'll run a shiver through your martini." The evening also features award-winning saxophonist Dave Ellis. Matheny recently won "Best New Artist" honors in the JazzIz Readers Poll and "Talent Deserving Wider Recognition" in the Down Beat International Critics Poll. One of the area's most prolific musical artists, Matheny has appeared on dozens of recordings and released five critically acclaimed CDs as a leader on the Monarch, Munich and Papillon labels. 

An Evening of Classical Space Music with Kevin Keller Trio
Friday, April 26, 2002 at 8pm; Tickets $15 
Well known to Bay Area audiences for their blend of beautiful music and state-of-the-art visuals, cellist Tania Simoncelli, bassist Mark Fassett, and keyboardist Kevin Keller present their exciting new show called "Across the Sky" in support of their new CD, which will be available for purchase. 

CELESTIAL GALA
Chabot Space & Science Center Members are invited to attend the Celestial Gala – A Celebration of the Stars on Saturday, May 18, beginning at 6pm. The black tie event includes an elegant cocktail reception, dinner program, benefit auction, live music and dancing. Proceeds from the Gala will help support Chabot's education programs and activities, which now serve more than 50,000 school children annually. The program will celebrate the Stars – leaders in the community. Special recognition will be given to Merrill & Lillian Martin and Mavoureen Harshman for their generous support for Chabot's new 36-inch telescope, currently under construction. Individual tickets are $250, and full tables can also be sponsored. For reservations or information, call (510) 336-7391.

General Information

Chabot Space & Science Center is located at 10000 Skyline Blvd. in Oakland's Joaquin Miller Park. The full complex is open Tuesday - Sunday, 10am - 5pm (with extended hours during Spring Break). Evening hours for the Planetarium & Theater are Friday & Saturday, 7pm - 9pm; Free Telescope Observatory Access on Friday & Saturday, 7pm - 10pm. General admission is $8.00/$5.50 seniors and children. Children under 3 are admitted free; Students with ID receive a $1.00 discount. General admission to the galleries is FREE on the first Wednesday of each month (with an additional charge for Ask Jeeves Planetarium and Tien MegaDome Theater). Tickets may be purchased at the door, or by calling (510) 336-7373. Advance tickets are available on-line at www.ticketweb.com or by phone at (510) 601-TWEB. 

For more information, visit www.chabotspace.org or call (510) 336-7300.

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