RELEASE
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08-100
Visionary 'NASA Exploration Experience' Exhibit to Mark Annual Sweet Corn Festival with Visit to West Point, Iowa, Aug. 7-10
HUNTSVILLE, Ala. -- America’s plans for opening the space frontier, including new human exploration of Earth's moon and future voyages into the solar system beyond, are featured in an interactive exhibit scheduled to visit West Point, Iowa, Aug. 7-10.
The NASA Exploration Experience exhibit will be part of the annual Sweet Corn Festival, to be held at 5th Street and Avenue D in downtown West Point. The public is invited to tour the free exhibit from 5-10 p.m. Friday, Aug. 8; 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 9; and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 10.
The Iowa tour will continue Aug. 13-15 at the Iowa Children's Museum in Coralville, and will conclude Aug. 26-28 at Ames High School in Ames.
The exhibit simulates a breathtaking visit to the first destination on America's new journey into the solar system: Earth's moon. "Interactive control panels and activity stations, immersive 3D imagery and audio effects will plunge visitors into a not-too-distant future on the moon," said Marshall Center outreach coordinator Kirk Pierce, a spokesperson for the exhibit. "They'll discover what it will be like to live and work on the surfaces of other worlds -- and how it will benefit life back home on Earth."
NASA staffers will be on hand to answer questions and discuss some of the thousands of technologies used on Earth as a result of years of space-based research and development by the agency and its partners.
"Exhibit visitors can learn how our quality of life improves when America’s space exploration activities refine existing technologies or develop new breakthroughs in areas such as power generation, computer technology, communications, networking and robotics," Pierce said. "Visitors also can learn how other advanced technologies are increasing the safety and reliability of space transportation systems, while also reducing costs."
Touring the NASA Exploration Experience exhibit takes approximately 12 minutes. The exhibit is wheelchair-accessible.
NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., manages the traveling exhibit for the agency's Exploration Systems Mission Directorate in Washington. For more information, visit:
http://exploration.nasa.gov http://www.nasa.gov/directorates/esmd/outreach
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