The Springfield Science Museum was recently granted the long-term loan of a large, touch-screen interactive, virtual tour of the International Space Station (ISS). The loan was made by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) under the auspices of the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS, the manager of the International Space Station U.S. National Laboratory). The virtual tour is now on display in Astronomy Hall on the second floor of the Science Museum.
The exhibit provides a fun and interactive experience for our visitors. It consists of a large touch-screen monitor on top of a rolling platform and features a high-resolution, photographic-quality, CGI model of the ISS. The model can be turned and viewed from any direction with a swipe, and a tap on a highlighted module brings up photos along with other detailed information. Background music and didactic graphic panels (not shown here) complete the presentation. It’s a great way to introduce our audiences to the excitement and challenges of space exploration!
It’s also a natural complement to the immersive ISS exhibit that we are developing nearby on the same floor. It will help promote the upcoming reopening of our recently-renovated planetarium, our plans for a digitally connected observatory, and an Earth-systems approach to an evolving Science Museum. It supports our goal to increase awareness of the STEM disciplines in general, and when used in conjunction with our new Science Workshop classroom (also on the second floor) will help encourage STEM identity and STEM literacy among the young people who use our spaces. Being mobile, it can at times be displayed in other places around campus; by making full use of the multi-disciplinary nature of our museum complex, the ISS virtual tour will help promote cross-fertilization between the arts and sciences and foster the development of a variety of STEAM activities and programming.
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