posted 12-27-2004 02:28 AM               

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Earth Orbit: Inside the U.S. & Russian Space Programs
October 2005 (Prices and dates are pending the official release of launch dates at Kennedy and Baikonur)

For the first time ever, our Great Explorers Series embarks on a comprehensive, around-the-world, red-carpet seminar examining humankind’s ongoing efforts in planetary science and space travel. Join AMNH astrophysicists Neil Tyson and Mike Shara, and James Oberg, 20-year veteran of the space shuttle program and one of the world’s leading investigative scholars on the Space Race, to venture behind the scenes of the U.S. and Russian space programs, examining their evolution from inception to the incredible space race of the Cold War to the remarkable achievements, tragedies, and triumphs of the twenty-first century. Our program begins in New York City at AMNH’s magical Rose Center for Earth and Space, where our Study Leaders host a gala private dinner followed by a day of behind-the-scenes programs, including a virtual 3-D tour to the edge of the known universe. Our adventure continues at the NASA Goddard Space Center in Greenbelt, MD, where science satellites are built and space communications are controlled, and the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC, the nation’s “attic” for space vehicles. Then, traveling to Florida with James Oberg, view a shuttle launch at the Kennedy Space Center—weather and schedule permitting—before visiting NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston for high-level meetings with astronauts and administrators to discuss the Apollo, Shuttle, and Space Station programs. At the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, CA, take a behind-the-scenes look at the celebrated Mars Rovers and the ongoing Cassini probe orbiting Saturn. Then visit Mojave, to examine SpaceShipOne, the privately funded spaceplane that opened the space lanes to private, commercial traffic.   Continue to the boundless steppes of Kazakhstan in Central Asia to the remote desert launch site at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in the former Soviet town of Leninsk—the launch site of the first Soviet ICBM, of Sputnik, the first man-made satellite, and of the first human into space, Yuri Gagarin. Today nearly 50% of all Russian launches occur at Baikonur. In addition to meeting cosmonauts, view a Soyuz launch—again pending weather conditions and other schedule changes. In Moscow, enjoy highest level clearance and entreé, joining top Russian space officials, engineers, and cosmonauts to watch the capsule rendezvous and dock with the International Space Station from Mission Control. Our program culminates at the once highly classified Star City with a behind-the-scenes visit to the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center for an exploration of the MIR and International Space Station Simulators and a unique opportunity to train as the cosmonauts do in an optional zero-gravity flight, ride in the centrifuge, dive in the hydrolab, or a MiG flight. Beyond the thrill of visiting firsthand these strictly controlled facilities, this unparalleled seminar reveals the human side—the joy and tears—of these history-making endeavors. Special note: Due to the private entrée afforded in this program, maximum capacity is set at 15 travelers. Call today to reserve your space on the advance list. Program prices and dates are pending the official release of launch dates at Kennedy and Baikonur, as well as the addition of special guest speakers.

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