FAMILY OUTING
22
Space Center Houston turns on the lights.
At Galaxy Lights, the illuminated, indoor-outdoor holiday show that opens Nov. 16 at Space Center Houston, kids can design their own holiday tree.
Using a touchscreen at an interactive kiosk, guests add effects to an artificial tree and watch it light up in real time as they change the light color and placement. The hands-on learning tool is designed to teach the principles behind LED and RGB lights — when satisfied with the final product, guests pose for a picture in front of their festive creation.
Interactive experiences like this are woven throughout the selfguided holiday display that is designed to teach visitors how light is essential in science, says William Harris, Space Center Houston president and CEO.
Bolstered by new technologies, Galaxy Lights melds the public’s interest in a traditional holiday experience with entertaining learning opportunities, Harris says.
The light show is one way that Space Center Houston is “pivoting away” from focusing on NASA’s history, Harris says, to emphasize where the organization is heading in the future.
Staged in the Main Plaza, one of the event’s wow factors is a kinetic light show at the entrance. Globes with LED lights are suspended from cables. As they change to form shapes and designs, the movement is timed to holiday music.
This specific kinetic light display has been on view in parts of Europe, Harris says, but never before in the U.S.
Another “really memorable” element at the nightly attraction is the lighted tram path. To simulate shooting stars, 250,000 LED lights have been installed overhead, creating a tunnel effect. Tram riders will experience a meteor shower and, on their journey, will have the sensation that they’re traveling through space within a massive star field.
Hands-on learning
Pop-up STEAM labs throughout the show will teach the importance of light in every aspect of our lives and will help kids engage with scientific lessons about how light is essential for space exploration, Harris says.
For example, hands-on lessons teach how light refraction is used to help us understand where planets are located.
Using 3D mapping, an animated program projects on the Saturn V building, telling the fictional tale of Commander Quest — Space Center Houston’s mascot — as a child.
The fast-paced show makes viewers feel as if they’re seeing a manned rocket propelled into space.
The Galaxy Lights experience takes about two hours to complete, passing large orbs dotting the lawn like so many planets, walking below glittering stars hung overhead in indoor spaces and posing for pictures next to spacecraft strung with bulbs.
The “Holidays in Space” film shows real-life astronauts experiencing the holidays during missions.
After families stop for s’mores and other holiday treats for purchase, they can make their way to several photo ops and selfie stations, including the chance to “sit” in the cradle of the moon or in front of a 40-foot, brightly lit holiday tree.
Spending the night in ‘space’
To get an out-of-this-galaxy experience, families can sleep under the technology-enabled stars at the exhibit’s special overnight experience Dec. 7.
During a special event on Dec. 5, guests 21 and older can partake in adult beverages while seeing the lights. On On Dec. 9, the center hosts a reduced-stimulation night for guests on the autism spectrum. The event is a toned-down version of the show, for those who need to experience it in a modified fashion.
Allison Bagley is a Houston-based writer.