The bubble-domed Space Shuttle Pavilion, part of New York City's Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum, showcases the space shuttle Enterprise, the prototype NASA orbiter that paved the way for the Space Shuttle Program. The Pavilion houses 17 dynamic exhibit zones featuring original artifacts, photographs, audio, and films that immerse visitors in the science and history of Enterprise and the space shuttle era.
To commemorate the 25th anniversary of the launch of the Hubble Space Telescope on board the space shuttle Discovery in 1990, the temporary exhibition HUBBLE@25 showcases the history of this project and reveals its unparalleled scientific achievements. The exhibition is co-curated by Eric Boehm, curator of aviation, and Michael J. Massimino, former NASA astronaut and senior advisor of space programs at the Intrepid Museum. The Hubble is still in orbit and may continue through 2020. HUBBLE@25 will be open at the Intrepid Museum through Sept. 14, 2015.
The Museum recently unveiled a free iPhone mobile app — Mission Intrepid: Explore Enterprise, available for iOS 7 — that provides an enhanced experience in the Museum’s Space Shuttle Pavilion and includes nine different interactive experiences for visitors to unlock while exploring the space shuttle Enterprise and its surrounding exhibitions.
The Museum partnered with New York-based digital innovation company Makeable to create an engaging, interactive app as a companion to the Museum’s Space Shuttle Pavilion. Visitors standing next to various exhibit zones can access different hotspots throughout the Pavilion, including such points of interest as the shuttle’s tiles, cargo bay and cockpit, which will then unlock deeper storytelling experiences. As visitors move through the app, they learn about NASA, space travel, aerospace, flight, Enterprise and the Space Shuttle Program through fully immersive augmented reality experiences, behind-the-scenes videos and more. Though it is designed to interact directly with the Museum’s exhibits, the app provides great content for users to explore outside the Museum as well.
January Astronomy Nights
On select nights, the Intrepid Museum plays host to astronomers from across the tri-state region as they turn their telescopes skyward to reveal the wonders of the sky right from Intrepid’s flight deck. Inside the Museum, guests can enjoy engaging demonstrations in its hands-on Exploreum, learn about space and space travel through a lecture series and get a clear view of the sky, no matter what the weather, in a portable planetarium.
The next Astronomy Night will take place Friday, Jan. 23, from 7:30pm to 10:30pm. Guests must be 21 or older as beer and wine will be available for purchase.
Family Programs
The Intrepid Museum also hosts Family Programs, which take place from 10:30am to 11:30am.
• On Jan. 10, it’s High Flying Design. Make the best and most unique paper airplanes around while learning about the four forces of flight during this drop-in activity.
• Then, on Jan. 24, it’s Dive Into Density. Kids learn what density is and how it can be changed by creating and manipulating a Cartesian diver. The above events are free with admission, but registration is required.
To register, email educationevents@intrepidmuseum.org. intrepidmuseum.org. Intrepid Museum is located at Pier 86, W. 46th St. and 12th Ave., 212-245-0072.
