Intrepid Museum Presents Astronomy Night

Important information: This is not a ticket into the museum. You do not need to bring this the night of the program. This is just for a reminder for Astronomy Night. It is not a ticket.

Free Fridays are back! The Intrepid Museum is once again extending its hours free of charge on Friday, April 26 from 5:00pm-9:00pm. Don’t miss special programming during Free Fridays, including the Museum’s Astro Live.

Astronomy Nights are FREE and feature fun-filled and educational experiences for the whole family, including talks from leading scientists and activities & demos led by Museum educators. Local astronomers will be on hand with their high-powered telescopes to help visitors navigate the night sky and answer questions about astronomy and stargazing. Guests are welcome to bring their own binoculars or look through the telescopes of the experts.

Schedule*:

5:00pm-9:00pm (ongoing) – Apollo: When We Went to the Moon (Space Shuttle Pavilion)
The Intrepid Museum, home of the space shuttle Enterprise, is thrilled to host Apollo: When We Went to the Moon. This special exhibition, opening on March 26, 2024 in the Space Shuttle Pavilion, unpacks the history of the Apollo program and sets the stage for NASA’s current Moon to Mars campaign. Using interactive media, photographs, and rarely-seen artifacts from the U.S. Space & Rocket Center® archives, the exhibition explores the people, technology and world events that defined this pivotal moment in the Space Race.

Families and visitors with young children are also invited to participate in drop-in activities throughout the night in Hangar 3! Activities include:

5:30pm-8:00pm (ongoing) – Workshops

• Astronaut Portrait: Create a portrait of yourself as the next astronaut to go to the Moon.
• Build A Lunar Lander: Build your own lunar lander that can safely land your poof astronauts when dropped from a height

5:30pm-8:00pm (ongoing) – Educator Cart: Learn About Space Capsules
Talk with a museum educator and discuss the Mercury-Atlas 7 and Gemini III missions that occurred during the Space Race!

6:00pm – POOF! Life in a Vacuum Demonstration
Discover the importance of Earth’s atmosphere and, why astronauts need to wear space suits. Using a bell jar and vacuum pump, museum educators will mimic the vacuum of space and its effect on objects.

6:30pm-7:30pm – Featured Speaker: Artemis to the Moon and Beyond
Tim Straube, deputy manager of the avionics, power, and software (APS) for NASA’s Orion spacecraft at the agency’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, will discuss how NASA is working to return humans to the Moon under the Artemis campaign. Straube will highlight the Orion spacecraft’s successful 1.4-million-mile journey around the Moon on Artemis I, its first uncrewed test flight in 2022. He will also talk about how the spacecraft is being prepared to carry four astronauts around the Moon on Artemis II, NASA’s upcoming mission that will help pave the way for human exploration of the Moon and Mars.

Livestreaming of the conversation will be available if you can’t make it in person to the Intrepid Museum. View the live event on Facebook or YouTube.

7:00pm-9:00pm – Telescope viewing (on the Flight Deck)
Explore the cosmos with observers from the Amateur Astronomers Association and Unistellar. Backed by partnerships with renowned scientific organizations such as NASA and SETI Institute, Unistellar contributes to cutting-edge research on astronomical phenomena, including exoplanets, asteroids, comets, and more. (Weather Pending)

* American Sign Language (ASL) interpretation will be available for the demonstration, featured speaker, telescope viewing on the flight deck, and some of the educator cart.

Doors will open promptly at 5:00pm, Last entry to the Museum is at 8:30 pm (doors are subject to close earlier, entry is not guaranteed). All visitors must enter through the Welcome Center to receive a ticket prior to entering the Museum.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION: THIS IS NOT A TICKET INTO THE MUSEUM. YOU DO NOT NEED TO BRING THIS ON THE NIGHT OF THE PROGRAM. THIS IS JUST A REMINDER FOR ASTRONOMY NIGHT. IT IS NOT A TICKET.

Special Guest Speaker:

Dr. Timothy Straube currently serves as the deputy manager of the Avionics, Power, and Software (APS) Office for NASA’s Orion Program at the agency’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. Dr. Straube has worked on human spaceflight missions at Johnson for 30 years, and most recently led APS Office flight readiness activities leading up to the Orion spacecraft’s successful Artemis I mission in 2022, the first human-rated mission to the Moon in over 50 years. Prior to this, Dr. Straube managed Orion’s guidance, navigation, and control (GN&C) development team for over a decade. He led flight dynamics activities for the spacecraft’s three successful flight tests: Pad Abort-1 in 2010 and Ascent Abort-2 in 2019, which both successfully demonstrated Orion’s early abort capability, and Exploration Flight Test-1 (EFT-1) in 2014, which showcased Orion’s automated human-rated reentry flight system. He also previously led GN&C development projects for the Space Shuttle Program, the International Space Station, and the Autonomous Landing Hazard Avoidance Technology Program.

Astro Live is supported through a NASA Cooperative Agreement awarded to the New York Space Grant Consortium.

Astronomy Night is also supported, in part, by the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council, and the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and the New York State Legislature.