A Night of Education and Inspiration For All at the Visitor Center

The sixth in a series known as "Space Chats," culminated a day of education and inspiration for all that visited the Goddard Visitor Center, on Friday, Oct. 3.

"Experience Planet Earth and the Universe In Your Own Backyard" was the theme for an evening of activities that included the opening of a new exhibit, several lectures, stargazing and Mars viewing.

Standing room only crowd for astronomy lecture.

Space Chats is a series of free interactive presentations for the public, held at the Visitor Center to inform attendees of the latest findings in space and Earth research at NASA Goddard.

"This gives Goddard a greater ability to share more science and technology with the community," said Maurice Henderson, program manager at the Visitor Center. "This, I believe will prove to be a source of pride for the Goddard community as they are now able to bring family and friends to see all the good that is done here," added Henderson.

He admitted that his comments also reflect the pride of accomplishment after the opening of Goddard's newest exhibit at the Visitor Center. "Hubble Space Telescope: New Views of the Universe" was officially unveiled to the public during the evening. The exhibit is a collaborative effort between the Visitor Center, the Hubble Team and the Smithsonian Institute Traveling Exhibition Service.

The exhibit contains images and data taken from the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) of planets, galaxies, black holes, and many other fascinating cosmic entities. "New Views of the Universe" is comprised of spectacular backlit color images and contains numerous interactive displays.

	Kevin Hartnett gives some basics of astronomy.

The evening of activity began with a lecture by Kevin Hartnett, a member of the HST technical management team. He gave a presentation on the basics of astronomy including general information on the solar system, stars and galaxies. "We are now in what is considered the golden age of astronomy and I hope you enjoy it," he told the standing room only crowd.

Following his presentation a crowd gathered in the main area for the opening ceremony of the Hubble exhibit. "We want the Visitor Center to be new and

Photos by Larry Gilbert/293

Crowd gathers for official opening of Hubble exhibit.

exciting for you and this is just our first step," Henderson told the crowd.

For the remainder of the evening a crowd of more than 250 was able to sit in on several other lectures or walk about the Hubble exhibit and engage the numerous interactive displays. There was also an opportunity to wander outside where members of the Goddard Astronomy Club and other local astronomers had already aimed their telescopes for viewing of the moon, Mars and other distant images in the sky.

"What you see here is an example of the will to accomplish," said Henderson reflecting on the countless hours of work needed to make the opening a success. He said that volunteers accomplished more than 75 percent of the work. "I want to thank all who had a helping hand into making this a reality."

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