Science Centres US science centre partners zoo
Sharing the excitement as Rosetta meets comet 67P/C-G AUDREY KORCZYNSCA
R
osetta, the space probe, woke up from a 957-day hibernation on
20 January 2014 and steadily made her way towards comet 67P/C-G, arriving at its orbit on 6 August. The media has regularly reported on
the probe’s progress. The potential of the data gathered to help us unravel the mysteries of the origins of the solar system has ben discussed too. The Rosetta blog, run by the European
Space Agency (ESA), posts daily pictures and attracts an enthusiastic audience. Public attention is reaching its peak in November as Rosetta dispatches the lander, Philae, that has accompanied her since her launch in 2004. If successful, Philae’s landing will mark the first ever controlled touchdown on the surface of a comet’s nucleus. Events like this offer a wealth of
opportunities for science centres and museums to attract audiences and spark interest in space science. For example, Ecsite, ESA and Ecsite Space Group members developed “Hook-up with Rosetta”, a ready-to-use, ready- to-share kit of activities for science centres and museums to cover the space venture. The kit comprises activities to educate about comets and space science and an exhibition to discover facts about Rosetta and comets. Different organisations and
attractions have been helping create the Rosetta buzz around Europe. Blackrock Castle Observatory in Ireland ran a space summer camp using the toolkit and has been reaching out to schools. Czech Republic science centre Techmania decided to hold a space season this autumn, and at Pavilhão do Conhecimento in Portugal, students were set to follow the lander’s arrival on the comet live on 11 November, with commentary from an astronomer – and the Ecsite Rosetta exhibition on hand.
Audrey Korczynska, project manager, Ecsite
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A proposed joint venture between the Palm Beach Zoo and Conservation Society and the South Florida Science Center and Aquarium could see a $123m (£76.6m, €96.3m) ecotourism park and complex built over the next decade, attracting up to 2.2 million visitors annually. Plans for EcoPark include
a butterfly haven, rope canopy tour, IMAX theatre, outdoor Everglades exhibit, environmental education centre and more, with the build taking between five and 10 years to complete. A preliminary study
suggested the annual economic impact of the project could be worth as much as $300m (£187m, €235m) to the local area. “If built as planned,
EcoPark would be the largest destination
South Florida Science Center plans to build an ecotourism park
in the US focused on conservation and the environment, and [could become] the most visited destination in South Florida,” said the science centre’s president and CEO Lew Crampton, speaking at a Palm Beach Chamber of Commerce breakfast.
Both facilities are currently undergoing individual upgrades, with the science centre scheduled to open a new west wing in February, while the zoo is doubling the size of its Malayan tiger habitat, to be completed by the end of the year.
Details:
http://lei.sr?a=7K9w4_A Queen launches Science Museum gallery
The Queen and Duke of Edinburgh were in attendance 25 October for the landmark launch of the London Science Museum’s new £16m ($26m, €20m) Communications Gallery – the first in the UK dedicated to the history of information and communication technologies and the largest in the museum’s history. Part of an ongoing £60m ($96m, €76m) redevelopment of the Science Museum, Information Age: Six Networks That Changed Our World explores the technological breakthroughs that have transformed communication over the past 200 years. The gallery, by architecture firm Universal Design Studio, features more than 800 objects from the Science Museum’s collections,
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The queen sent a tweet to mark the opening of the new gallery
as well as interactive displays to illustrate the stories of those whose lives were changed by each new wave of communication technology. The evolution of the
Science Museum is well underway, with high-profile
architects named to design further new galleries. The next development will be architect Zaha Hadid’s mathematics gallery, expected to open during 2016, in the Science Museum’s main building. Details:
http://lei.sr?a=r3X8n_A
AM 4 2014 ©Cybertrek 2014
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