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CT Aerospace Activities/Events
There are numerous current and future Aerospace-related events in Connecticut in 2020. These include existing, interactive exhibits, laser shows and planetarium programming, aviation and aerospace museum tours, age-specific day programs focusing on space exploration, and NASA-related presentations.
'Kids In Space' Day Program
- 'Kids in Space' is a space-themed science and exploration day program, offered July 20-24, 2020, from 9:00am to 3:00pm, by the Discovery Museum in Bridgeport. This program is available to second and third-grade students and includes space-focused programming, such as building rockets and viewing a planetarium show.
- Discovery Museum is located at 4450 Park Avenue, Bridgeport, CT, 06604.
- The museum is open 10:00am-4:00pm, Tuesday-Sunday.
- General admission to the museum is $11.00 for adults and $9.00 for kids 3-17. Special rates are available. The 'Kids in Space' program is $300 for non-members and $275 for members.
- The Discovery Museum is a STEM-focused, hands-on science museum, which is both a tourist destination and an educational resource for local communities. The museum includes several additional exhibits and programs focusing on space and space exploration.
Apollo Redux Exhibit: Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the Moon Landing
- This is an exhibit at Discovery Museum that allows visitors to sit at a mission control station, interact with a mission, and listen to stories of astronauts who actually participated in a mission.
- Discovery Museum is located at 4450 Park Avenue, Bridgeport, CT, 06604.
- The museum is open 10:00am-4:00pm, Tuesday-Sunday
- General admission to the museum is $11.00 for adults and $9.00 for kids 3-17. Special rates are available. The 'Kids in Space' program is $300 for non-members and $275 for members.
- The Discovery Museum is a STEM-focused, hands-on science museum, which offers activities for tourists and educational resources for local communities. The museum includes several additional exhibits and programs focusing on Aerospace and space exploration.
Sun, Earth, Universe Exhibit
- Sun, Earth, Universe is an interactive exhibit at Stepping Stones museum developed in conjunction with NASA, which offers an opportunity to build a model spacecraft, play board games, and pilot rovers across a landscape play table. It focuses on the planet, space, universe and on issues significant to NASA.
- Stepping Stones Museum is located at 303 West Avenue, Norwalk, CT, 06850.
- Their hours are 10:00am-5:00pm, Tuesday-Sunday. Between Memorial Day and Labor Day, the museum is open 7 days a week.
- General admission is $16.00 for adults and children and $12.00 for adults over 62.
- This exhibit is part of a children's museum with numerous other interactive activities and special exhibits available for families, not necessarily Aerospace-focused.
Apollo 11 50th Anniversary Presentation
- This presentation will discuss the US-Soviet Space Race, including Mercury, Gemini and Apollo missions. The presentation includes audio from personal interviews with Apollo astronauts.
- The presentation will be held from 6:30-7:30pm, Thursday, February 20, at the Torrington Library, 12 Daycoeton Place, Torrington, CT, 06790.
- The library is open 10:00am-6:00pm Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, 10:00am-8:00pm Thursday, and 10:00am-3:00pm Saturday.
- Admission is free.
- This presentation will be held at the Torrington Library and the event is specific to this location. Andy Poniris, a NASA / JPL Solar System Ambassador, will be the presenter.
Astronaut Planetarium Exhibit
- 'Astronaut' is a planetarium exhibit at the Children's Museum of Connecticut, offering the experience of a rocket launch from the perspective of an astronaut.
- The Children's Museum of Connecticut is located at 950 Trout Brook Drive, West Hartford, CT, 06119.
- The museum is open Tuesday-Saturday 9:00am to 4:00pm and Sunday 11:00am to 4:00pm.
- General admission is $13.75 for children 2-12 (under 2 free), $14.75 for adults, and $13.75 for seniors. Planetarium admission is an additional $3.50.
- This planetarium show offers audiences the experience of space travel as an astronaut and the museum is host to other numerous other activities and events, not all space-related.
Space Chase Laser Show
- Space Chase is a laser show at the Children's Museum of Connecticut, which takes audience members on an adventure through the solar system to find the thief of a high-tech space exploration suit.
- The Children's Museum of Connecticut is located at 950 Trout Brook Drive, West Hartford, CT, 06119.
- The museum is open Tuesday-Saturday 9:00am to 4:00pm and Sunday 11:00am to 4:00pm.
- General admission is $13.75 for children 2-12 (under 2 free), $14.75 for adults, and $13.75 for seniors. Laser light shows are an additional $3.50 for non-members.
- This event is a family-focused laser show which offers planetarium audiences a simulated trip through the solar system and is noted on their website as currently playing. The museum is host to numerous other activities and events, not all space-related.
Exploring Space
- 'Exploring Space' is permanent interactive exhibit at Connecticut Science Center that offers visitors a perspective from a spaceship, including viewing objects from space, visiting a black hole, and creating a moon crater.
- Connecticut Science Center is located at 250 Columbus Blvd., Hartford, CT, 06103.
- This museum is open 10:00am-5:00pm Tuesday through Sunday (closed Monday). Early closings and special hours are also posted on their website.
- General admission is $16.95 for ages 3-17, $24.95 for ages 18-64, and $22.95 for ages 65+. Movies and stage shows are an additional $5.00-$7.00.
- This interactive exhibit is appropriate for all ages and offers various activities from a 'space pod' view, including a virtual tour of outer space, making a moon crater, viewing a moon rock, and a newly-introduced Mars Mission Control Exhibit. Younger children can also take the controls of a "Lunar Lander."
- The Connecticut Science Center offers over 165 exhibits, a 3-D theater, 4 educational labs and additional special programming and events, not all necessarily space-related.
Connecticut Air and Space Museum Tour
- The Connecticut Air and Space Museum displays vintage aviation, memorabilia, and artifacts relating to Connecticut. Their mission includes education relating to past, present, and future aviation and aerospace technology, with a special focus on Connecticut's contribution to aviation and aerospace progress.
- The museum is located at 50 Main St, Stratford, CT, 06615.
- It is open Tuesdays 9:00am to 2:00pm, Thursdays 9:00am to 5:00pm, and Saturdays 9:00am to 2:00pm.
- Admission is $9.00 (ages 18+ only).
- Self-guided tours are available daily when the museum is open. The museum also hosts special events to benefit the community, though none are currently scheduled for 2020.
Research Strategy
Early research indicated that aerospace-related events specific to spring and summer 2020 were largely not available yet. Therefore, our research was focused on identifying a diverse range of aerospace-related events that would be available to wide audience at any point in 2020. We reviewed Connecticut event calendars, NASA-related programming, and events, exhibits, and programs related to aerospace in 2020. Websites for the specific event hosts were leveraged to provide details about the event.