The NASA exhibition “Sun, Earth, Universe” is now open at the University of Nebraska State Museum at Morrill Hall, 645 N. 14th St.
The museum is hosting the exhibition through June 2020 in partnership with the Nebraska Center for Materials and Nanoscience. “Sun, Earth, Universe” exhibitions are developed and distributed nationwide by the National Informal STEM Education Network, in collaboration with NASA.
The exhibition, for visitors of all ages, is designed to engage audiences in the awe-inspiring fields of Earth and space sciences. Packed with interactive exhibits and dazzling imagery, the exhibition will connect visitors with current NASA research and launch them on a journey to explore the universe.
Visitors can:
- Follow the design-build-test cycle of engineering and build a model spacecraft;
- Spin a tumbler of 10,000 beads, representing all of the stars visible from Earth, to search for the unique one that represents our sun;
- Reveal hidden images using the same tools NASA scientists employ to explore the otherwise invisible forces and energy of the universe;
- Take a break in the seating area and play the “Your Mission to Space” board game;
- Help younger visitors pilot rovers across the Mars landscape play table.
These experiences introduce visitors to NASA research in materials science, heliophysics, Earth science, planetary science and astrophysics, encouraging them to imagine what the future of Earth and space science might hold.
The University of Nebraska State Museum will host public programs that highlight the exhibition and space content:
July 21, 12:30 to 4:30 p.m. — Sunday with a Scientist
Nov. 9, 10 a.m. to noon — Investigate: Second Saturday Science Lab
Dec. 5, 4 to 4:30 p.m. — Pop-In Storytime with Lincoln City Libraries
Regular museum admission will be charged for all three events.
In addition, the Nebraska Center for Materials and Nanoscience, Nebraska Nanoscale Facility and the University of Nebraska State Museum will support the exhibition’s travel to six other Nebraska museums: Children's Museum of Central Nebraska, Hastings; Edgerton Explorit Center, Aurora; Kearney Area Children's Museum, Kearney; Eleanor Barbour Cook Museum, Chadron State College, Chadron; A. Jewell Schock Museum of Natural History and the Fred G. Dale Planetarium, Wayne State College, Wayne; and Strategic Air Command and Aerospace Museum, Ashland.