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World Space Week 2005 Plans
World Space Week 2005 will be celebrated across the United States. Here is a preliminary listing of events.
Nationwide
Washington, D.C.
- Space leaders gathered in Washington to celebrate World Space Week at a reception at the Cosmos Club on October 5. Appearing was NASA Deputy Administrator nominee Shana Dale, representing Presidential Science Advisor, Dr. John Marburger, and Michael O'Brien of NASA. The event was sponsored by Global Science & Technology, Inc. and was hosted by World Space Week Association and the National Space Society. WSWA Chairman Courtney Stadd was master of ceremonies.
- SpaceShipOne, winner of the X-Prize last year during World Space Week, was unveiled by the National Air and Space Museum at a ceremony on October 5
attended by Burt Rutan and Paul Allen.
- US space organization leaders held a World Space Week organizational meeting at the National Space Society on October 5.
- The UN Association of the National Capital Area hosted a discussion panel on international cooperation in space exploration on October 5 on Capitol Hill. Click here for a report on the event.
- The Arthur C. Clarke Foundation hosted the annual Clarke Lecture and Awards Ceremonies at The Cosmos Club. The event featured a spectacular space art
exhibit titled "The Moon, Mars & Early Astronomical Concepts," rare plus studio photos from "2001: A Space Odyssey" and historic Clarke first editions and books. Featured speakers included NASA Chief
Historian Steven J. Dick, Joseph Allen IV, Tom D. Crouch, and Fred Ordway III, and Scott Pace, Associate NASA Administrator for Program Analysis & Evaluation. The annual Clarke Lifetime Achievement
Award was awarded to Ben Bova, prolific futuristic author of 100 fiction and nonfiction books. The Clarke Innovator Award was presented to Bradley Edwards for "Pioneering Development of the Space Elevator
Concept." Sir Arthur spoke to the audience from his home in Sri Lanka.
Missouri
- The Celestial Theatre created an innovative theatrical performance about space, astronomy, and science fiction at the Bird's Nest Space Place in St. Lous. The performance
will be distributed electronically.
New Mexico
- The X-Prize Cup in New Mexico showcases the latest developments in commercial space transportation. It is an event where the public can watch the next generations of space vehicles fly, see the vehicles up close, learn about the technology, build your own rocket or telescope, operate a robot, talk to astronauts, and promote space tourism. Click here for a detailed calendar of events.
Texas
- Numerous K-12 teachers in the Clear Creek Independent School District received World Space Week Teacher Kits sponsored by Hernandez Engineering. They used these materials to promote student interest in science and math.
- A member of the NASA Mars Exploration Rover Mission Team, Dr. John Grotzinger from the California Institute of Technology, is giving a lecture on
"The 2004 Mars Exploration Rover Mission: Evidence for Water and Prospects for Life" on Thursday, October 13, 2005 at the University of Texas at Austin. It can be viewed via live webcast at 7 pm
CST. For more information, see http://www.esi.utexas.edu/outreach/ols/lectures/Grotzinger/grotzinger.html?pid=astgrp
- 2005 was our 9th year to participate in World Space Week at the Museum of Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas.
- Our week's activities included public school workshops which focused on the medicine wheels of North America and their relationships to the
constellations. Students also learned about stellar development, made their own constellation, and built a star finder. These school workshops also included a planetarium show in our newly
renovated Moody Planetarium.
- The week was capped off with a Space Week Family Day on Saturday October 8. The day began with a family workshop from 12noon-1pm, highlighting
the wonder of galaxies. Participants made 3-dimensional galaxy model, went on a "star map treasure hunt", and built a star finder. The day continued with fun astronomy crafts from
1-3pm. Space-y crafts included "comet-on-a-stick," "soap-bubble nebulae" and galaxy mobiles. Cosmic games included "bean-bag lunar lander" and
"pin-the-tail-on-the-comet". Telescope demonstrations and solar viewing were provided by members of the South Plains Astronomy Club (SPAC), and refreshments made the day complete. Our West
Texas Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) Ambassador Tom Heisey provided an entertaining lecture about 3-D imaging of Mars, and had a sample of the aerogel material, used in the Genesis Sample Return Mission, on
display. One of our local movie theatres donated 500 pairs of 3-d viewing glasses, with red & blue film lenses, for the 3-D imaging of Mars presentation.
- We had over 290 participants for the entire week.
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