NASA Exploration Exhibit on Display at Charleston Harbor Fest June 26-29

CHARLESTON, S.C. — America’s plans for opening the space frontier — including human exploration of Earth’s moon and future voyages into the solar system beyond — are featured in an interactive exhibit that will be on display at the Charleston Harbor Fest in Charleston, S.C., June 26-29.

The NASA Exploration Experience traveling exhibit gives visitors a vivid glimpse into the nation’s ambitious future in space. Charleston is the exhibit’s last stop on the tour down the Atlantic Coast.

“We hope the multimedia experience helps people better understand how the country plans to explore the moon and journey beyond in the next decade or so,” said outreach coordinator Kirk Pierce from NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala.

The exhibit will be on display at the Charleston Harbor Festival Grounds and will be open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday and Sunday and from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday. On June 29 the Charleston Harbor Fest will host the “Parade of Sail of all Tall Ships.”

The exhibit simulates a breathtaking visit to the first destination on America’s new journey into the solar system: Earth’s moon.

“Interactive control panels and activity stations; immersive 3D imagery; and audio effects will plunge visitors into a not-too-distant future on the moon,” Pierce added. “They’ll discover what it will be like to live and work on the surfaces of other worlds — and how it will benefit life back home on Earth.”

NASA staffers will be on hand to answer questions and discuss some of the thousands of technologies used on Earth as a result of years of space-based research and development by the agency and its partners.

Exhibit visitors can learn how our quality of life improves as America’s space exploration activities refine existing technologies and develop new breakthroughs in areas such as power generation, computer technology, communications, networking and robotics. Visitors also can learn how other advanced technologies are increasing the safety and reliability of space transportation systems, while also reducing costs.

Touring the NASA Exploration Experience exhibit takes approximately 10 minutes. The exhibit is wheelchair-accessible. Exhibit visitors also can see what they would look like on the moon by having their photo taken in a space suit against a lunar landscape. Robots on the Road will support the Exploration Exhibit by engaging visitors with several table-size robots that indicate how NASA utilizes robotics in exploration.

NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., manages the traveling exhibit for the agencys Exploration Systems Mission Directorate in Washington.

In addition to the traveling exhibit, NASA is working with the Math and Science Coalition at Clemson University to set up several professional development workshops for teachers later in the summer.

For more information about the traveling exhibit, visit: http://exploration.nasa.gov