Event blasts off with a galaxy of family-fun festivities, demos and presentations; Featured Guest Speaker is NASA Astronaut Douglas Harry “Wheels” Wheelock
Thanks to the Frontiers of Flight Museum, you don’t have to visit a “galaxy far, far away” to experience the wonders of space exploration, astronomy, incredible science exhibits, or an inflatable planetarium! Star gazers and space enthusiasts of all ages can now trek over to the family-fun activities at Moon Day 2018 sponsored by Beal Bank. Visit: https://www.flightmuseum.com/moon-day/.
The celebration, which is the biggest annual space exposition in Texas, is set for Saturday, July 21 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Frontiers of Flight Museum, 6911 Lemmon Ave. Moon Day is free with Museum admission ($7-$10; Museum members and children under 3 are free). Through the Blue Star Museums program, admission is free for active duty military and their families.
Moon Day was created in 2009 by the Frontiers of Flight Museum and the National Space Society of North Texas as an annual event to celebrate space exploration on or near the anniversary of the first Moon landing. The festival is a science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) focused space-themed public event, which continues to attract participants across North Texas and beyond. This year, Moon Day will commemorate the 50th anniversary year of the Apollo VII mission (October 1968), the first manned Apollo mission, which paved the way for the eventual Moon landing the following July. The Apollo VII spacecraft is on display at the Museum.
“While the anniversary of the first Moon landing serves as a reason to celebrate, the Museum and the National Space Society of North Texas are also committed to showcasing the present and future of space exploration,” said Cheryl Sutterfield-Jones, President and CEO, Frontiers of Flight Museum. “Moon Day’s extensive content is provided by local, regional, and national space-related organizations, who work to inspire all ages to embrace a scientific and technological future.”
Moon Day is a community-wide family-fun event that attracts more than 1,500 attendees. Visitors will enjoy a full day of activities featuring space-related displays from three dozen exhibitors. The first 250 kids through the door will receive a “Lunar Sample Bag” full of space-related posters, magazines, trading cards, and other items courtesy of Moonlite Printing and Graphics of Carrollton.
Keynote Address: NASA Astronaut Douglas Harry “Wheels” Wheelock @ 1:00-2:00 pm
One of the highlights of Moon Day will be a live stream presentation from Star City, Russia with NASA Astronaut Douglas Harry “Wheels” Wheelock. He has completed four space missions on the Space Shuttle, the International Space Station, and the Russian Soyuz. The retired Army Colonel has accumulated more than 178 days in space. Wheelock first flew on STS-120 in 2007, and in 2010, he served as Flight Engineer for Expedition 24 on the International Space Station and Commander for Expedition 25. During Expedition 25, Col. Wheelock conducted three unplanned spacewalks to replace a faulty ammonia pump module. This session will be open to the public in the Museum’s Hamilton Family Auditorium.
Featured Presentations:
They Come from Outer Space! @ 11:00-11:45 a.m.
Presenter: Dr. Rhiannon Mayne, Oscar and Juanita Monnig Endowed Chair of Meteoritics and Planetary Science at Texas Christian University.
Dr. Mayne is responsible for one of the world’s largest university-based meteorite collections. Her primary research interest is the evolution of planetary bodies during the early history of our solar system. She will talk about the key role meteorites play in understanding our solar system and how and where we find them.
How to Fly and Stay Alive! @ 2:30-3:30pm
Presenter: Wally Funk, Pilot/Certified Flight Instructor and Mercury 13 Candidate
With over 18,000 hours of flying time, Funk has been flying professionally since 1957 and has taught over 3,000 students how to fly. She was a civilian flight instructor at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, the first female Federal Aviation Administration inspector, and the first female air safety investigator for the National Transportation Safety Board. In the early 1960s, Funk was the youngest of a group known as the “Mercury 13” and is featured in the recent Netflix documentary about the group of women who went through the same training regimen at the Lovelace Clinic as America’s original Mercury 7 astronauts.
Other Moon Day Highlights:
- Beginning at 11:00 a.m., choose from interesting and educational presentations from the Moon Academy Classes for youngsters or the Lunar University for college level and above.
- Make your own Moon craters, drive a Mars rover, analyze the performance of your paper airplane design, or enjoy numerous other activities and demonstrations from our amazing exhibitors.
- NEW! Lunar and Meteorite Samples from NASA: View part of NASA’s special collection of lunar soil returned from the Moon as well as meteorites that have fallen to Earth.
- NEW! Explore the Universe with OmniGlobe®: This EarthX exhibit is an incredible interactive opportunity to view the Moon, Earth, planets, and stars in many scenarios. See the weather patterns of hurricanes and tsunamis on Earth, cloud movements on Jupiter, the topography of Venus, or track aircraft flight patterns around the globe.
- Learn how amateur radio operators listen to artificial satellites; you may even be able to listen to an actual satellite in orbit as it passes over the Metroplex!
Sutterfield-Jones explained that visitors who might not feel technically proficient in space topics will still have a great time at Moon Day. “Space exploration is a continuing chapter in the human story, and it’s something everyone can be a part of during the Museum’s Moon Day celebration on July 21.”
For more information on Moon Day 2018, presented by the Frontiers of Flight Museum and the National Space Society of North Texas, visit: https://www.flightmuseum.com/moon-day/ or call (214) 350-3600.
MORE ON THE FRONTIERS OF FLIGHT MUSEUM
The Frontiers of Flight Museum is conveniently located just north of downtown on Lemmon Avenue at the southeast side of Dallas Love Field Airport, north of Mockingbird Lane. Housed in a modern 100,000-square-foot facility, the Museum provides a focal point to explore the history and progress of aviation and spaceflight as the human race continues to pursue going higher, faster, and farther. Hours of operation: Monday – Saturday: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and Sunday: 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Admission: Adults $10; Seniors (65+) $8; Youths/Students (3-17) $7 and children under 3 are free. For more information, including closings for private events and major holidays, visit www.flightmuseum.com.