Orlando Science Center: Moon Fest looks to space
Orlando Science Center is throwing a two-day Moon Fest to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing. Among the highlighted activities are laserlight shows, a Martian Egg Drop Challenge, a demonstration of rocket science and an explosive experience dubbed “Peeps in Space.”
Moon Fest activities are set for Saturday and Sunday, and they are included in regular admission to Orlando Science Center.
“I think Moon Fest is a great opportunity to celebrate this massive human achievement of the moon landing 50 years ago, but then leverage that interest to inspire future generations about the next step in space travel,” said Jeff Stanford, vice president of marketing.
One of the eye-catching demonstrations will incorporate those sugary Peeps put inside a vacuum to suck the air out of them, following by a dip into liquid nitrogen. For this exercise, the flattened, frozen, smashed Peeps are the equivalent of a human not outfitted in proper gear while in space.
“Space is really hard. It’s really, really cold. And it’s a vacuum. And so we get to demonstrate just how difficult that is on the human body with Peeps,” said Spencer Jones, science program instructor. “We’re going to be destroying Peeps in various ways. And we’ll show why we try not to destroy humans in the same way.”
Fifty years after that first moon walk, kids still have interest in heavenly bodies, Jones said.
“You’d actually be surprised at how much kids know about space in general. They will name the five dwarf planets, they will name more moons than I’m sure you could name as well. I mean, it’s incredible,” he said. “I’ve had conversations with 4-year-olds, where they’re , like, matching my level of degree-holding astronomy knowledge.”
The science center varies its Moon Fest activities to reflect a range of space knowledge, including Seuss rhyming schemes and big-screen programming.
“Our goal is that pretty much everywhere you look, you’re gonna find some form of space content,” Jones said.
Orlando Science Center hours are 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Saturday as part of the museum’s Science After Sundown promotion. Sunday hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is $21 ($15 for ages 3 to 11).
For more information, go to OSC.org.