The Santa Maria Valley Discovery Museum has joined forces with the 30th Space Wing at Vandenberg Air Force Base to present the Discovery Space Shuttle, which museum and base officials unveiled on May 10.
The shuttle will join the Vandenberg Launch Experience science exhibit, which simulates rocket launches using science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) concepts, according to a press release. The shuttle will be the exhibit’s first interactive, educational feature.
Visiting children can board the Discovery Space Shuttle to simulate overseeing launch communications and counting down to blastoff, accompanied by actual audio recordings from a NASA shuttle, the press release said.
“The Vandenberg Launch Experience will catapult kids into space, connect them to the powerful technology in their own backyard, and inspire them to pursue careers in the aerospace industry,” Discovery Museum Executive Director Chris Slaughter said in the release.
The museum is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday from noon to 4 p.m.
“Our goal with this exhibit is to ignite young imaginations and reinforce the importance of math and science in and outside of the classroom,” Slaughter said in the release.
This article appears in May 18-25, 2017.
