Bradbury Science Museum takes its visitors to outer space

Contact: Shelley Thompson, shelley@lanl.gov, (505) 665-7778

Recent News Los Alamos scientist named Asian American Engineer of the Year Los Alamos scientist featured in NASA science update Los Alamos muon detector could thwart nuclear smugglers Wojciech H. Zurek named Phi Beta Kappa visiting scholar Four Los Alamos physicists honored by American Physical Society Los Alamos National Laboratory organizations earn seven out of 13 NNSA Pollution Prevention awards Carter Hydrick returns to the Bradbury Science Museum Feb. 15 Laboratory supports summer science program New NASA IBEX mission to carry Los Alamos instrument Beason takes top threat reduction post at Los Alamos

LOS ALAMOS, N.M., June 14, 2001 -- The Bradbury Science Museum of the Department of Energy's Los Alamos National Laboratory is sponsoring several activities June 18 to June 29 as part of its fifth annual Astronomy Days program.

Astronomy Days provides something for everyone from hands-on activities, as part of the Summer Adventures in Science program for children age nine through 12, to lectures for adults. All events are free.

The museum, part of the Laboratory's Community Relations Office, is hosting eight talks with scientists and researchers from Los Alamos and NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif. beginning Monday. There also is an opportunity to build and launch a rocket, a night-time viewing of the planet Mars and a show at Santa Fe Community College's planetarium.

Students age nine through 12 can participate in hands-on activities during Astronomy Days. From 2 to 4 p.m. Wednesday, and 9 to 11 a.m. Thursday, students will build a "Human Solar System" as they experience "Traveler's Guide to the Solar System, A Student's Journey," presented by Shannon McConnell of JPL. Call the museum at 665-0896 by Monday to register.

The first of the scheduled talks in the museum's auditorium is at 6:30 p.m. Monday given by Stephen Becker of Los Alamos' Thermonuclear Applications Group. He will speak on "A 2001 Update on the Solar System."

All talks are open to the public and begin at 6:30 p.m. and end by 8 p.m. or earlier.

On Tuesday, Craig Ihde of JPL will speak on NASA's most ambitious space exploration projects in a talk titled "What's Happening in Outer Space? An update on Missions, Mars, and Genesis."

On Wednesday, McConnell will give a tour of Jupiter and Saturn through the eyes of NASA robotic spacecraft. While on Thursday, Galen Gisler of the Space and Remote Sensing Sciences Group, will discuss "Cosmology -- What we've learned about the universe and its beginnings."

Next Friday, June 22, Robert Reedy, also of the Space and Remote Sensing Sciences Group, will talk about "Results from the NEAR-Shoemaker Mission at the Asteroid 433 Eros."

The final presentation is on June 28 by Geoff Reeves, of the Space and Atmospheric Sciences Group, who will talk on "Northern Lights, Solar Winds, and Magnetic Storms."

Ed Fenimore of Los Alamos' Space and Remote Sensing Sciences Group tentatively plans on speaking on "The Scientific Method and Gamma Ray Bursts" on either June 25 or June 27. Check the museum Web page or call 665-0896 for the correct time.

Other activities include building a simple rocket from a kit and later launching it by participating in the "SAS Rocket Workshop" from 9 to 11 a.m. Monday and next Friday, June 22. Since this event has enough participants, call 665-0896 to be put on a waiting list for a future workshop.

From 9 to 10:30 a.m. and 3 to 4:30 p.m. June 27, make a solar clock, learn about eclipses and more by participating in "Fun with the Sun!" Register for one of these sessions by June 25.

The show "Constellations Tonight" at the Santa Fe Community College Planetarium is free and open to the public. It is suited for middle school age through adult. It begins at 3 p.m. Wednesday at the college's Planetarium. Santa Fe Community College is located at 6401 Richards Ave. off Rodeo Road in Santa Fe.

Join the Pajarito Astronomers Club at dark June 23 at Overlook Park in White Rock to view the planet Mars, now quite close to Earth. The viewing will be canceled if skies are overcast.

The Bradbury Science Museum is located at 15th Street and Central Avenue in Los Alamos. Museum hours, apart from the special events listed above are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 1 to 5 p.m. Saturday, Sunday and Monday.

For more information, contact Pat Berger at 665-0896 or visit the museum's Web page at www.bsm.lanl.gov/special.shtml online.

Dates and times for Astronomy Days also can be found on Los Alamos' Daily News Bulletin's Calendar page at http://dominoapp.lanl.gov/lanl/lanlevents.nsf/nb+event+list?OpenView online.

Los Alamos National Laboratory is operated by the University of California for the U.S. Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration.

Additional news releases related to Space Sciences

Additional news releases from the Nonproliferation and International Security (NIS) Division

Additional news releases from the Applied Physics (X) Division

Additional news releases from the Communications and External Relations Division(CER)