Day of space-themed activities mark the 50th anniversary of the first human in space and the 30th anniversary of the first space shuttle flight
SEATTLE, – April 12 marks the 30th anniversary of the first space shuttle flight, and the golden anniversary of the day Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first person to fly in space. The Museum will host an all day festival of spaceflight, with space-related family activities, lectures and films.
The Museum of Flight
School Programs
The Museum will be busy with several Puget Sound grade school classes engaged in “Dream of Flight” tours of the Museum, robot and rocket programs with “Operation Distant World,” and team spaceflights to Mars in the Museum’s Challenger Learning Center.
Public Programs
Public programs include tours of the Space: Exploring the New Frontier exhibit at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m., and family storytelling at the International Space Station Destiny module at noon. At 1:30 p.m. space expert Merle Hanley will talk about cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin, and there will be an information booth about “Russian in the 21st Century: Language, Drama, and STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) education.” The film, “First Orbit,” will be screened at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.
Rounding out the day’s activities will be the family-friendly astronomy presentation, “The 15-Minute Universe,” at 3 p.m. and 3:45 p.m. with NASA Solar System Ambassador Dr. Ron Hobbs and Museum of Flight Outreach Education Coordinator Sarah Knights.
“First Orbit” – A Film about the First Human Spaceflight
Tuesday, April 12, 11:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m.
William M. AllenTheater
The Museum joins Yuri’s Night celebrations all over the globe to premier a new film of what Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin witnessed as the first person in space 50 years ago. In a unique collaboration with the European Space and the Expedition 26 and 27 crews aboard the International Space Station, astronaut Paolo Nespoli and documentary filmmaker Christopher Riley have captured a new digital high-definition view of the Earth below, half a century after Gagarin first witnessed it. Weaving these new views together are historic recordings of Gagarin’s voice and an original score by composer Philip Sheppard.
The non-profit Museum of Flight is one of the largest independent air and space museums in the world. The Museum’s collection includes more than 150 historically significant air- and spacecraft, as well as the William E. Boeing Red Barn® — the original manufacturing facility of the Boeing Co. The Airpark includes outdoor displays with the first jet Air Force One, a Concorde airliner, and the first Boeing 747 jumbo jet. The Museum aeronautical library and archival holdings are the largest on the West Coast. The Education Office offers weekend family programs, programs for students and educators, and overnight camps for children. McCormick & Schmick’s Wings Café is on site.
The Museum of Flight is located at 9404 E. Marginal Way S., Seattle, Exit 158 off Interstate 5 on Boeing Field half-way between downtown Seattle and Sea-Tac Airport. The Museum is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is $16 for adults, $14 for seniors 65 and older, $13 for active military, $9 for youth 5 to 17, and free for children under 5. Group rates are available. Admission on the first Thursday of the month is free from 5 to 9 p.m. courtesy of Wells Fargo. For general Museum information, please call 206-764-5720 or visit
www.museumofflight.org
