The 21st century got off to a truly futuristic start in November of 2000 when the first three people arrived in orbit at the International Space Station (ISS), beginning an era of global cooperation in science and research. Now, after 20 years of continuous human presence, Great Lakes Science Center, home of the NASA Glenn Visitor Center, is marking the occasion with a weekend of special programming from November 6-8.
Submit your questions now via the Science Center’s social media platforms for astronaut Douglas H. Wheelock (Colonel, U.S. Army, Ret.) and former astronaut Terry W. Virts, Jr. (Colonel, U.S. Air Force, Retired), and have them answered in pre-recorded video presentations that will stream throughout the Science Center over the 20th anniversary weekend. Get answers to all of your questions about what life is like in space, how zero gravity affects your body, and what it was like to fly to and from the ISS.
Interactive activities at the science center will include the Space Shuttle Tile cart activity, a unique activity designed to demonstrate the effectiveness of the Orbiter’s Thermal Protection System (the more than 21,000 tiles) that was used to insulate and protect the Orbiter and its occupants during atmospheric re-entry. The demonstration features an actual tile from the Orbiter fleet heated to simulated re-entry temperatures with a propane torch.
Don’t miss the Mission: Mars Design Challenge — a design challenge where guests play the part of engineers who help design habitats for an upcoming deep space mission to the planet Mars. The challenge is to construct a collapsible habitat (HAB) using a set of common parts that can fit inside the cargo hold of a simulated rocket to be delivered to the surface of Mars. Once there, the HAB design will self-deploy and expand to accommodate a crew of future astronauts. Can your team help complete the challenge?
For more information, go to greatscience.com.
