SEATTLE, July 21, 2009

--NASA's "The Vision for Space Exploration Experience" exhibit is housed in a 53-foot-long tractor and trailer rig. The family-friendly exhibit is designed to share with visitors NASA's exploration goals to return to the moon and travel to Mars and beyond. The experience is intended to inspire visitors as they embark on a simulated journey into space. Vision for Space Exploration Experience is staffed by NASA professionals in a wide variety of space-related programs. The exhibit will be parked July 23 - 25 on the Museum's west campus, next to the Airpark. It will be open during Museum hours and admission is free.
 

The exhibit begins with a cosmic waiting area where visitors will learn what they will need to travel to the moon and Mars. Holographic video maps of the moon and Mars will allow visitors to learn more about their surfaces, the history of NASA's research on each, and future plans for exploration. The second section of the exhibit features a hexagonal theater with an interactive floor that allows visitors to feel as if they are walking on the surfaces of the moon and Mars. This section of the exhibit also explains NASA's future plans of traveling back to the moon to create a working environment that will help ensure safe future travel further into the solar system. Robots on the Road
Additionally, the "Robots on the Road" van will be available near the Space Exploration trailer. Robots on the Road is a traveling program from NASA's Aerospace Education Specialists Project. ROTR allows the public to engage in exciting, hands-on robotics activities in which they are given a robot and asked to discover what tasks it can complete and how it is able to complete them. ROTR helps people understand how robots operate, while using problem-solving, team building, and critical thinking skills which simulate those used by NASA scientists and engineers. Programs are in the Museum's Side Gallery July 24 -25 from 11 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. Programs are free with admission to the Museum.

Visitors to the trailer are encouraged to take advantage of nearby free parking in the Museum's new lot just north of the Museum Airpark. The Museum of Flight is located at 9404 E. Marginal Way S., Seattle, Exit 158 off Interstate 5 (on Boeing Field between downtown Seattle and SeaTac Airport.) The Museum is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is $14 for adults, $13 for seniors 65 and older, $10 for active military, $7.50 for youth 5 to 17, and free for children under 5. Group rates are available. Admission on the first Thursday of the month is free from 5 to 9 p.m. courtesy of Wells Fargo. For general Museum information, please call 206-764-5720 or visit www.museumofflight.org.