Museum Kicks Off Spring Break With Space Break – and a free Star Party!

Category: Non-Local News Releases Non-Local News Releases
Published: 11 March 2023 11 March 2023

What: The New Mexico Museum of Space History’s Rocketeer Academy is kicking spring break into high gear with three weeks worth of Space Break activities!

Tuesday, March 14 

7:00 pm to 10:00 pm 

Star Party – Spring Break Star Party supported by the Astronomy League and Museum Educators. Along with the usual array of telescopes, there will be big screen live viewing of astronomic objects along with a pass of the International Space Station. The ISS pass starts at 8:44 pm out of the southwest and ends at 8:55 pm, almost overhead. Maximum altitude will be 50 degrees and the station will be visible for over 5 minutes. The event runs from 7:00 pm to 10:00 pm in the museum’s lower parking lot, weather permitting. 

Thursday, March 16 

10:00 am to 3:00 pm  

Intro to Rocketry - It’s all about rockets! Learn the ups and downs of how rockets work. Younger students, 4th grade and lower, will build and fly, air powered paper rockets. More advanced students will take part in the water rocket challenge. These students, working in teams, will design a build a powerful water rocket and recovery system that carries an “eggstranaut” payload aloft, can IT survive? It all happens on the museum’s second floor and is free with museum admission. 

Monday, March 20 

10:00 am to 2:00 pm 

SUN DAY - Observe the Sun live using a number of different solar telescopes. Event supported by the Astronomy League and Education Department. The event will include live viewing of the sun along with various solar oriented demonstrations covering solar power generation, cooking and a solar furnace capable of reaching temperatures of over 3000 degrees Fahrenheit! 

This event is free to the public and will be held on the museum patio.  

Thursday, March 23 

Buy a Gift Shop model rocket!  

Build it: 11:00 am or 12:00 pm (Theater classroom 1) 

Launch it: 1:00 pm or 2:00 pm (Museum Lower Parking lot)  

Rocket Blast! This is a standard rocket building class, open to both students and adults. Buy a model rocket at the museum gift shop, then build it and launch it! Rocket building classes are scheduled for 11:00 am or 12:00 pm. Rocket launching is at 1:00 pm or 2:00 pm. This program is first come, first served, or while supplies of rockets last. Classes and launching are free to the public. 

Thursday, March 23 

Lower Parking Lot 

7:00 pm – 9:00 pm

Star Party - This is a public star party supported by the Astronomy League and Museum Educators. Along with the normal array of telescopes, there will be big screen live viewing of astronomic objects as well as the usual visual observing. This event is free to the public and will be held in the museum’s lower parking lot from 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm.  

Wednesday, March 29 

10:00 am to 2:00 pm 

NASA Day - This is a day at the museum dedicated to all things NASA - from the Artemis project to science on the Space Station and citizen science programs. The day will include info and tables on the 2nd floor, citizen science activities and other demos. The event is free with museum admission. 

About the New Mexico Museum of Space History: www.nmspacemuseum.org 

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