SPREAD YOUR WINGS
FAMILIES INTERACT WITH THE ‘ABOVE AND BEYOND’ EXHIBIT AT SPACE CENTER HOUSTON.
Designing your own aircraft — down to wing span and color — and mimicking flying in V-formation like a bird are some of the ways you can learn about aerotechnology at Space Center Houston’s new exhibit, “Above and Beyond.”
The installation, which runs through September 9, features artifacts and tools used in past space exploration, paired with interactive, hands-on tools to demonstrate what’s possible for the future of space travel, exhibits director Paul Spana said.
Spana’s favorite part of the exhibit is “Full Throttle,” a piloted mission competition that uses technology similar to a video game. On a touchscreen, you can design a supersonic fighter jet, choosing color, body style, and wing type and shape. After being assigned a unique tail number based on the country from which you choose to launch this mission, you go through a quick cockpit orientation, and then it’s time for liftoff. With a joystick controller, you begin a virtual race against other pilots, navigating wind tunnels and other challenges and earning points for speed and maneuverability.
Logan Iwaasa, 11, entered the “Full Throttle” challenge on opening weekend of the exhibit. Logan is on a six-month, 15,000mile science road trip across North America with his brother Evan, 8, and his parents Mark and Stacie Iwaasa, who are Canadian science teachers.
Logan designed his virtual aircraft for maximum speed, choosing a pinched body style, single fin tail and triangular wings.
After his “flight,” Logan talked about his choices and how the properties affected his vessel’s stability and speed, which gave his dad a good indication of how interactive lessons make scientific principles stick.
“It activates more senses,” opposed to reading or hearing information, Mark said. “You’re touching stuff, you’re getting feedback. It makes it easier to remember and recall that information later on.”
Evan enjoyed “Spread Your Wings,” where he flapped his arms to fly in a path of birds in V-formation, which he learned conserves energy. Seeing his assigned color on screen, motion-sensing technology showed Evan how his own body movement was causing his avatar bird to glide and dip to follow the flock.
Machine-based wind simulation adds to the flying experience.
“Moving their body helps activate different parts of the brain,” Mark said, adding that the exhibit’s interactive games, touchscreens and videos make learning more interesting for younger visitors who may still be learning to read.
Spana said students will recognize principles of S.T.E.M. from their classrooms in each component of “Above and Beyond.” For example, engineering is explored in hands-on weight lifting that demonstrates the benefits of an aluminum versus a carbon fiber fuselage. Children use their strength to test the weight of each.
Elsewhere, large video screens transport guests into the atmosphere on a space elevator. There is a touchscreen challenge to pack an aircraft with food and other supplies and flight simulations during which the user chooses tools to clean up debris in space.
After the exhibit, the Iwaasas had lunch with an astronaut, an add-on experience at Space Center Houston.
Mark said his sons enjoyed hearing tales of real-life space travel from an expert, which was similar to learning about voyages in video footage of completed missions in the exhibit.
“They have no choice but to be interested in science because they get a lot of it at home,” Mark joked. “But it’s very easy to get them more interested by hearing the real stories behind the science.”