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The StarBridge level of the Boeing Space Station at the James S. McDonnell Planetarium features nine interactive space exhibits including the Space Communications Station where visitors can communicate with others "back on Earth" via computers tied into the Science Center's Cyberville™ Gallery.
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Space Comes Alive at the Renovated James S. McDonnell Planetarium
by Betty Magrath, SLFP.com
photos by Bob Moore, SLFP.com
ST. LOUIS, (SLFP.com), June 13, 2001 - The St. Louis Science Center's James S. McDonnell Planetarium, in Forest Park, will reopen June 22, 2001, with a grand party from 4 p.m. to midnight, featuring a balloon glow, fireworks, performance by the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra and an opportunity for visitors to experience what it's like to live and work on board a space station.
Terri Gipson, associate director of Space Sciences and project manager for the St. Louis Science Center, spent almost six years researching the project. In a interview at the Planetarium on Media Day, Gipson spoke enthusiastically about the project. Gazing up at 9,000 twinkling stars and glowing planets slowly moving across the new 80 sq. ft. dome emulating a night sky, she noted that a planetarium is not just a theatre where you do a show.
"The real purpose is to help people understand how the sky works and how to relate to the real sky," said Gipson. "We wanted to be able to connect people to the night sky. Like the experience where you walk out from your cabin in the mountains or to take out the trash and look up at the sky. I wanted people to be able to orient themselves as to how their back yard is in relationship to the sky and then to learn on their own how to find the constellations," she explained.
Gipson said that they have actively worked on the project for the past three years. She commented that the planetarium is a forty year old building. The facility, designed by Gyo Obata, needed new air conditioning, wiring and plumbing. "There was a lot of work that was done on the building to save the structure so that it could carry on into the future. We never thought about destroying the building. It's too loved by the people of St. Louis and by the Science Center staff," she emphasized.
"Not only was the age of the building a concern, but likewise the shape of the building proved to be a challenge. A round building is very disorienting. Part of the reason why the project became a space station and the nature of the way the exhibits are laid out was due to the shape of the building. Also, I really wanted to maximize the size of the dome for the stars," commented Gipson. The existing building, consisting of 37,000 sq. ft., was expanded to 43,100 sq. ft. with nearly 22,500 sq. ft. of exhibit space including an 80 ft. dome.
The centerpiece of the St. Louis Science Center's James S. McDonnell Planetarium is a $3.5 million Zeiss Universarium Planetarium Model IX projector, located on the StarBay level.
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The centerpiece of the new dome is a $3.5 million Zeiss Universarium Planetarium Model IX projector, made by Carl Zeiss, of Jena, Germany. The St. Louis installation is only the fourth in the world. The other Zeiss Model IX projectors are at Hayden Planetarium (New York, NY), Chabot Planetarium (Oakland, CA) and the Observatory of Bochum (Bochum, Germany). The fiber optics technology is used to create a deep night sky that can be seen even with ambient gallery lights on. Great care was taken to enhance the experience by adding color to the stars to reflect the natural appearance seen with the naked eye. Also, a "scintillation" effect was added to make the stars randomly "twinkle."
"When I first heard about the fiber optics projector, I started thinking about the idea of being able to walk freely under a night sky without being stuck in a chair for a presentation," said Gipson. The chairs in the former theatre have been removed. She noted that other science centers are rethinking the purpose of their exhibitions. "Four or five years ago, planetariums were pretty static. Now, the new technologies are having people reconsider what a planetarium is and how science centers are reaching people. This direction works for us especially with the unique shape of the building and the content of the exhibits. Today, we are helping people understand what astronomy is and what the stars and the planets are doing."
Gipson, who is responsible for the conceptual development, planning and implementation of space/astronomy-related programs and exhibits, noted that the Science Center is very involved in learning research. "We've had several thousand people through the exhibit already and the response has been overwhelming. Recently, we had a group of eight and nine year olds who went through the exhibits which were still under construction.
After the tour, Gipson took the youngsters downstairs to draw pictures of things they saw. "I remember one young eight year old girl who drew the cores or the wedges of the planets. She said, 'I think there is life on Europa because the Europa core looks like Earth's core. Therefore, it must be able to support some type of life.' I had wanted them to walk away with some information and new thinking, but I wasn't anticipating this amazing response. They were drawing from memory details of the exhibits like the way the buttons looked in the StarShuttle and the constellations."
Dave Dekker, vice president of Exhibit Works, commented that the design was created to inspire young people with the fundamentals of space exploration. "The new planetarium dome gives them a unique view of the heavens. We also wanted to change the vantage point rather than being on planet earth. We've taken them to the StarPort, which is a space station roughly thirty to fifty years from now, so that it's not science fiction," he explained.
As Dekker walked through the StarBridge, he explained that the Station features approximately 122 hands-on exhibits with over half being interactive to provide an opportunity to experience what it's like living and working in space. "There are elements in the Space Station where it takes two people to work the exhibits simultaneously so they learn something about teamwork," he said. "Another exhibit talks about generating power in space such as solar or thermal. Also there is an exhibit that deals with the basics of weightlessness in space." Dekker demonstrated the floating sensation of 'free fall' using an 18 ft. tower, from which a St. Louis blues hockey puck is dropped.
Dekker commented that it was very satisfying being able to create an exhibit that would help people in their daily lives. The $13 million renovation has been made possible by $11.2 million to date in gifts - $4 million from the John F. McDonnell and James S. McDonnell III families, $3 million jointly from The Boeing Company and the Boeing the Boeing-McDonnell foundation, plus additional gifts from Mr. and Mrs. R. Orthwein Jr. and the Employees Community fund of Boeing St. Louis.
For more information, see St. Louis Science Center.
The specially designed floor of the SkyPort at the James S. McDonnell Planetarium depicts the planet alignment on June 22, 2001 (Opening Day). The "Airport of the Future" features an ExploreStore gift shop, Galaxy Café and the entrance to the StarShuttle (elevator) which takes visitors to the upper floors of the Planetarium.
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Visitors will experience the simulation of a space launch as they are transported via the 'StarShuttle' (elevator) to the facility's two upper levels, collectively called the Boeing Space Station. The Shuttle features panels with 322 buttons, switches and levers to push and pull, and video monitors for observing the blast off into space.
The interactive panels in the Astronomy Station project the night sky at various times of the year.
Dave Dekker, vice president of Exhibit Works which designed and built the exhibits, demonstrates one of the interactive features in the Communications area that shows how satellites are aligned to send a radio beam around the planet Earth.
Matt Craig, age 11, concentrates on using the controls via the video monitor in order to move the robotic arm as seen behind the glass to his right. Craig, who enjoys inventing things, commented that the experience was like that of a video game.
(L. to R.) Kate Frede watches Kathy Cohn experience washing her hands in a space environment. Ms. Cohn was reviewing the exhibit as a family event for Savvy Family Magazine, formerly West County Kids.
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