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Author
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Topic: How do you promote space collecting?
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BMckay
Member Posts: 3218
From: MA, USA
Registered: Sep 2002
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posted 07-28-2005 12:52 PM
   
Just wondering what people have done to help promote our hobby? Last year I challenged people to get our and do something like arrange for an astronaut/special guest visit to a local school or library? So what have you done to help with igniting the imagination of our youth? I know of few of you have done school visits but what about the others? Show us what you do to uinsire us as well to give back. Bryan |
mdmyer
Member Posts: 900
From: Humboldt KS USA
Registered: Dec 2003
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posted 07-29-2005 06:26 AM
Earlier this year a fellow amateur astronomer organized a "Science Day" at the community college in town. He asked me to join the team that would be hosting the event. One of the other members is a "NASA Ambassador" and she was able to get moon rocks from NASA for our displays. These rocks are in Plexiglas or something like it. I think she had 2 or 3, six inch disks with these moon rocks in them. Another team member built a "Mars Rover" with a wireless camera on it. He had the rover in a dark room and the guests had to drive the rover around that dark room looking for a rock that had "water" written on it. The controls for the rover were in another room next to a TV that showed images from the rover's camera. They also had a robotic arm that guests could use to load and un-load items from a shuttle.I took my collection of MFA medallions and had them on display. I also took my Code 3 Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo spacecraft and displayed them. Other items I had on display were signed prints of 8 moon walkers, signed books, a print signed by the 4 Mercury Atlas astronauts, an autopenned Apollo 11 crew photo, a John Glenn orange space suit photo, a nice Shuttle model, a model of the Saturn 5, models of the lunar rovers and landers, some meteorites, and my 3 large telescopes. We also had many handouts from the Kansas Cosmosphere. After dark we showed the guests Jupiter, Saturn, the Moon, and a few brighter deep sky objects though our telescopes. The local paper covered our event before and after our "Science Day" and we had a good turnout. Mike Myer
Humboldt KS |
Rob Sumowski
Member Posts: 466
From: Macon, Georgia
Registered: Feb 2000
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posted 07-29-2005 07:03 AM
I held my annual exhibit, The Story of Apollo, at the Macon Museum of Arts and Sciences and we're planning an even bigger one for the coming year. I also had the honor of coordinating a donation from Mr. Joe Corvi and artist Dan Witkoff of a beautiful large signed Apollo 11 print to the museum for permanent exhibit there in the memory of Nasa Administrator Jules Scheer and Mr. Corvi's late father, who had been North American's chief engineer. I am also in the process of donating a permanent Apollo exhibit (created from parts of my own signed collection) to Sonny Carter (STS-33) Elementary School here in Macon, which was Sonny's home. It was a good year for space education in our area. |
HouseDadX4
unregistered
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posted 07-29-2005 07:14 AM
I visited a cub scout day camp while in Rockford, Illinois visiting family. The theme for their camp was Space. I gave a short lecture on the Challenger Learning Centers and their mission along with a short history lesson about a memorial poster of the Apollo 1, STS 51L, and STS 107 crews that one of the scouts created and brought to camp. I handed out bookmarks and decals to about 80 kids. They really enjoyed it. |
blue_eyes
Member Posts: 165
From: North Carolina, USA
Registered: Jul 2005
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posted 07-29-2005 11:17 AM
I hesitated mentioning this, since it doesn't seem like such a clear-cut benefit to our hobby, but hopefully it will help indirectly: I've been working on a music CD that is a tribute to space exploration and our space heroes. Not just one song, but an entire hour-plus CD of original music. Sometimes music can really inspire and change a life, so I'm hoping that this might spark a little flame in people's space dreams.Thanks for the posts so far on this... you guys rock! |
spacegrl13
Member Posts: 122
From: Portland, Oregon, U.S.
Registered: Aug 2002
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posted 07-29-2005 12:34 PM
I volunteer at OMSI in the physics lab. They have a huge hanging model of the ISS (NASA gave one to each state), and I try to always tell the visitors about it if they seem interested.cheers.
Helen |
thump
Member Posts: 575
From: washington dc usa
Registered: May 2004
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posted 07-29-2005 12:39 PM
I volunteer each weekend at the downtown Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum with Discovery Stations, talking and explaining about Living and Working in Space, as well as every other weekend as a docent at the NASM leading tours. |
randy
Member Posts: 2176
From: West Jordan, Utah USA
Registered: Dec 1999
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posted 07-29-2005 05:07 PM
I have given presentations on both manned and unmanned space exploration to school classes, libraries and other organizations. The best part is when you see the kids faces light up when you explain something and they understand it for the first time. You can almost see the light come on! The adults, too, enjoy hearing about the space program. |
kyra
Member Posts: 583
From: Louisville CO US
Registered: Aug 2003
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posted 07-29-2005 10:05 PM
One of the biggest rewards is just introducing the subject of space exploration to lay people you encounter everyday. This one on one can be very effective as individualized tutoring. They may start with an inaccuracy, but by the time we finish the conversation the questions get increasingly insightful and intelligent! One sales rep I knew was grumpy naysayer about the subject and nowadays he has an Apollo lapel pin and took the day from work to watch Discovery ! The momentum of enthusiasm from education is contagious in a good way!You see, he had the impression that all was disaster and didn't know the Shuttle 80 plus flights between Challenger and Columbia. Imagine that. And that was Apollo was hoaxed...poor guy. I rationalized with him and he came around! There were plenty of "Really?!" remarks as I told Apollo and Shuttle tales. He even thought the ISS "the space station" was Russian and they flew our astronauts there for show. I explained that it was Mir he was thinking of and that the long duration flights of our astros seeded the next step to building the ISS with the Russians and other nations. (In of course many more paragraphs than this post.)
Take the time to talk when the subject of space comes up and you'll rarely be disappointed. Oh by the way, although it was three years ago, I ended up as an unofficial tour guide a couple of times Liberty Bell 7 came to town. I had no intention of stealing the thunder from any of the good curators there, it just sort of ended up that way.  I had a good cry when I stood in the presence of LB7, got my composure back and just started talking and one thing led to another. |
KSCartist
Member Posts: 2896
From: Titusville, FL USA
Registered: Feb 2005
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posted 07-30-2005 01:31 PM
Since 1986 I have been a volunteer with the Young Astronaut Program. Young Astronauts is a curriculum based program that uses a child's enthusiasm for space exploration to improve grades in science, math and technology subjects. From 1986 to 1991 I was the state coordinator in Connecticut and we were able to work with Central CT State University to hold a Reach For the Stars Day each January. We also convinced the local Kiwanis Club to sponsor scholarships to Space Camp for seven students each year.In 1991 I moved my family to Titusville, FL and served in a similar capacity there until 1999 when I joined the staff at Divine Mercy School in Merritt Island. Now I mentor students in a Young Astronaut Club by building rockets, space stations models and hopefully fostering teamwork and inspiring them about their future. We still hold our Reach for the Stars - Space Xpo each year which has become our participation in the national Space Day celebration. Before I strain a muscle patting myself on the back, I have to say it would be impossible without the help of great parents. Many of my students parents work at KSC so motivating them is no problem. Besides I love to do this. There's no feeling like exciting a child about learning. Something teachers have known for years. I salute all of those who share their love of our space program with others. To keep it going we really do have a duty to educate others. Great job. Tim |
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