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This summer, we had several performers, artists, and "workshop facilitators" here for an exhibit opening, and now I am looking for something similar for Astronomy Day / Weekend 2008.

Specifically:

I: A workshop where visitors and families construct a spacecraft from provided "modules" which represent the critical components of a real spaceship. Ideally, it will help them appreciate the complexity of designing a mission.

The workshop should include some real considerations -- What goal? What instruments? RTG or solar? Orbiter or lander? Rover or stationary lander?  These whould be decided upon by the visitors based upon the mission they select.  Titan surface missions can't use solar panels, for example -- Titan's too smoggy. solar panels for a mission to the asteroids, on the other hand, have to be huge.

The resulting craft should be something small, made of inexpensive materials, which they assemble in about 45 minutes and can take home. Or maybe we'll take their model at the workshop door, tell them that their funding has been withdrawn, and suggest thay they either look for a way to piggyback on another mission or seek a teaching post. Ha ha. Now THAT'S realistic.

II: Dramatic, theatrically-executed Astronomy-related science demos -- firing rockets on a wire across the auditorium, making a giant dry-icecomet, etc. I know there are groups that come to parties, camps, corporate events, etc.

If you have names of people in the Northeast US who might be able to do some of these, I'd welcome your suggestions.

Marc Taylor
Coordinator, Andrus Planetarium
Hudson River Museum
511 Warburton Avenue
Yonkers, NY 10701
914 963 4550 x223
Fax 963 8558
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