5/15: Cosmosphere: Conservation of F-1 Engines

Presented every third Thursday morning, the Coffee at the Cosmo lecture series provides lifelong learners of all ages with insightful educational programming from the Cosmosphere's education staff, collections department, and outside experts.

The spinoff Cosmo After Hours gives community members who aren't able to come to the 9 a.m. Coffee sessions a chance to experience the rich, informative, inspirational discussions that Coffee patrons have, at a time that is more convenient to their work schedules.

Wednesday, May 15 at 7 p.m., Cosmo After Hours features Jim Remar, Cosmosphere President and COO, discussing the science of conservation and the current project underway at the Cosmosphere's restoration facility, SpaceWorks: preserving the herculean F-1 engines from the Apollo program.

Remar will give an encore of his presentation Thursday, May 16 at 9 a.m. for the monthly Coffee at the Cosmo series.

March 2013, Amazon.com Founder and CEO Jeff Bezos announced that he and his team of undersea experts had recovered many prime pieces of the historic F-1 engines from Project Apollo. The expedition recovered enough major components to fashion displays for two flown F-1 engines, and shortly after their recovery, the Cosmosphere's conservation team, SpaceWorks, began the process of stabilizing the engine pieces.

The Apollo F-1 Conservation Project will be, arguably, the most complex and difficult conservation of a space artifact performed to date.

"The opportunity to educate the public about what goes into a conservation of this magnitude is very exciting," said Remar. "We're thrilled and honored to be working with Bezos Expeditions on this conservation project and we hope our efforts will inspire future generations to continue to dream big and keep exploring."

The Cosmosphere's SpaceWorks facility is recognized across the globe for the conservation, restoration and fabrication projects that have been completed there since it was created in 1988. Notable projects include the restoration of Liberty Bell 7 in 1999 and the Apollo 13 command module Odyssey in 1995. More recently, SpaceWorks fabricated a full-scale UFO for "The Science of Aliens," exhibit at the National Dr. Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall in Taipei, Republic of China.

Coffee at the Cosmo is presented every third Thursday at 9 a.m. at the Kansas Cosmosphere and Space Center. The next installment in the 2013 lecture series, "SpaceWorks: The Conservation of F-1 Engines," will be May 16. Cosmo After Hours will be presented May 15 at 7 p.m. No reservations are required, though groups of 15 or more are encouraged to make advanced reservations. Admission to both events is free to the public, with refreshments provided. Visit cosmo.org for a complete schedule of events or for more information about the Apollo F-1 Conservation Project.

The Smithsonian-affiliated Cosmosphere houses the largest collection of U.S. and Russian space artifacts in the world. The Cosmosphere's mission is to honor the past and inspire the future of space exploration. The SpaceWorks division has an international reputation for historic artifact preservation, replication and exhibit design and has completed projects for NASA, the Smithsonian and Hollywood films, including Ron Howard's Apollo 13 and the HBO Miniseries, From Earth to the Moon.

The Cosmosphere is located at 1100 N. Plum in Hutchinson, Kan.