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PORTAGE -- Earth to Moon, a NASA-funded exhibit built by faculty, staff and students at Saint Francis University, is coming to the Portage Public Library from April 13 through May 6.
This portable, mobile museum enables local youth and their families to learn about and experience great discoveries and mysteries of space.
The exhibit consists of a futuristic panoramic display of Earth and the Milky Way as viewed from the surface of the moon, a 3D-printed Moonscape of the Apollo 17 mission landing site, lunar meteorites, simulants of regolith (broken rock and dust), lunar images and other learning materials. The Earth to Moon exhibit aims to inspire children's natural curiosity about the world round them, excite the Artemis generation about space exploration and engage them in creative thinking and problem solving.
The exhibit travels from library to library in the rural region of the Appalachian Mountains of Central Pennsylvania. Project partners include Appalachia Intermediate Unit 8, Claysburg Education Foundation, Claysburg Area Public Library, Hollidaysburg Area Public Library, Patton Public Library and Portage Public Library.
Participants can visit the exhibit anytime during library hours from April 13 to May 6: noon to 7 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday and Friday and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday. The exhibit will appeal to both adults and children ages 8 and up.
The opening event will take place from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, April 15. It will include Saint Francis University's Palumbo Planetarium and guided tour of the exhibit with retired engineer Don Freeburn. Four planetarium shows will occur on the second floor of the library on the hour from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sign-ups are required. To register, call the Portage Public Library at 814-736-4340. This event will appeal to both adults and children kindergarten and up.
A special program will be held at 1 p.m. Saturday, April 22. Patton resident, Don Freeburn, a retired engineer who worked for NASA at Houston in support of the Apollo Moon landings, will provide a short talk using the "Earth to Moon" exhibit to highlight points of the exhibit and its relevance to NASA's plans to return astronauts to the Moon for new science and technology goals. This event will appeal to both adults and children aged 8 and up.