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First Friday: It’s Rocket Science
Friday, July 1
6-10 p.m.
$15 adults, $10 kids/seniors, $5 members
3, 2, 1…Blast off!
From fireworks to space exploration, rockets have propelled our imagination for centuries. We’re reaching new heights with an evening of uplifting conversations and activities for all ages. Get ready for launch!
First Fridays at Chabot Space & Science Center bring the Oakland community together to play and discover, highlight diverse voices in S.T.E.A.M. and inspire explorers of all ages.
Chabot’s First Fridays open the doors for discovery with planetarium shows, telescope viewings and after-hours access to exhibits. Embedded in Redwood Regional Park, the Center is a space for our community to get together, learn, and explore in Oakland’s backyard.
First Friday features a new theme supported by community partners, hands-on activities, workshops, performances, and speakers. With different opportunities every month, the possibilities are endless.
First Fridays at Chabot take place on the first Friday of each month, from 6-10 p.m. Admission is $15 adults, $10 kids/seniors and $5 members. Our Café will be open for dinner and we will have beer and wine available for visitors 21+.
Schedule
7 p.m. Scott Manley, The Science Behind the Awesome Sights Of Rocket Launches, Studio 3
Rockets put on an impressive show, but you might have wondered exactly why the Space shuttles’ engines produce an almost transparent exhaust, while the boosters generate an intense white smokey flame. The answer of course involves rocket science and a lot of amazing visuals looking in details at how rockets light up the sky.
The Bay Area’s Scott Manley is someone who fell into YouTube because he felt a deep compelling need to teach people orbital mechanics and rocket science so they could play Kerbal Space Program; now, years later the gaming videos are less important, and the pure science is the main thrust. Scott’s degrees are all in Physics and Astronomy, so much of the rocket science and engineering he’s learned is self-taught, always learning, always teaching. To see his YouTube channel, go to: https://www.youtube.com/c/szyzyg
7:30 p.m., 8:30 p.m. Rocket Fuel Lab with Chabot Museum Educators, The Theater
In this science demo, watch Chabot Museum Education staff introduce the basics of rocket propulsion, covering thrust, fuel types, and properties of ignition. Through multiple experiments, learn how the amazing engineering of propulsion design creates the power to launch rockets into space!
Warning: Contains loud noises and bright flashes of light
8 p.m. Ron Hipschman, Fireworks, Studio 3
Join Exploratorium Emeritus Senior Scientist Ron Hipschman for colorful explorations of the physical world. Get ready to experience this explosive collection of fireworks displays on the eve of the Fourth of July!
Come ooooo and ahhhh at the science behind these big booms! Where do fireworks come from? Who invented them? What causes their beautiful colors, and how do the bursting shells create such different patterns? Join us for some real illumination and learn the difference between a jerb and a lance.
Since joining the Exploratorium in 1971, Ron Hipschman has worked as an exhibit developer, author, teacher, public programs presenter and a webcast host. To learn more about Ron, be sure to subscribe to his YouTube channel.
7:30-10 p.m. Telescope Makers Workshop with Eastbay Astronomical Society, Lab 2
Open to all ages, the Telescope Makers’ Workshop is an all-volunteer group committed to helping people build their own telescopes. Drop in to see what they are up to.
The Eastbay Astronomical Society serves Bay Area residents and astronomy enthusiasts with events, classes, and Oakland’s premier views of the universe.
7:30-10:30 p.m. Telescope Viewings, Observatory Deck
Join Chabot astronomers on the Observatory Deck for a free telescope viewing! Weather permitting, this is a chance to explore stars, planets and more through Chabot’s historic telescopes.
6-9 p.m. Space Enterprise at Berkeley, Student-Built Rocketry, Rotunda
A rocket team with a dream! Meet up with the team of Space Enterprise at Berkeley and see their latest rocketry.
Co-founded in October 2016, Space Enterprise at Berkeley is a student-run liquid-fuel rocket team dedicated to achieving spaceflight and developing rocket technologies at the University of California, Berkeley.
Despite being relatively young, SEB is one of the most ambitious college rocket teams in the world working towards achieving spaceflight with a liquid-fueled rocket. Working toward this dream, SEB launched multiple test-bed rockets and gained a wide array of technical knowledge and skill in rocket subsystems such as composite airframe manufacturing, in-flight data acquisition, and propulsion.
6-8 p.m. Galaxy Explorers, Pump Rockets, Observation Deck
Make your own paper rocket and blast them off on Chabot’s Observation Deck!
A safe and lower-cost alternative to combustible rockets, we use a standard bike pump to launch paper rockets that you build yourself! Simply pump to increase the air pressure, then step back, begin your countdown, and press the red button for an exciting rocket launch, up to 100 feet in the air. Learn about space, rockets, aerodynamics, physics & more.
6-9 p.m. Galaxy Explorers, Pop Rockets, Courtyard
Celebrate the 4th of July weekend with a pop and a bang!
Visitors will design and build paper rockets around film canisters, which serve as engines. An antacid tablet and water are put into each canister, reacting to form carbon dioxide gas, and acting as the pop rocket’s propellant. With the lid snapped on, the continuous creation of gas causes pressure to build up until the lid pops off, sending the rocket into the air. The pop rockets demonstrate Newton’s third law of motion: for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.
8-9 p.m. Galaxy Explorers Rocketry Team, Studio 1
Meet up with Chabot’s Galaxy Explorer’s Rocketry Team and check out their newest rocketry software designs and amateur rockets!
