Space Fest: Saturday

We are cleared for launch!

Join us to kickoff a yearlong celebration of the 50th Anniversary of the Apollo Moon Landing! Get your space fix from special guest speakers, science demonstrations, and hands-on astro activities all weekend long. Free with museum admission, regular planetarium ticket fees apply.

Hands-on activities

Learn about solar wind and auroras, get up close with micrometeorites from around the world, help create a cloud in real time, and test your engineering skills in our Astronaut Challenge room. These and more activities will be here all weekend, including:

• Apollo Moon landing trivia
• NASA spaceflight artifacts
• Lunar eclipse demos
• Outdoor solar observation

Planetarium Shows

Space Fest fun extends inside the Whitney & Elizabeth MacMillan Planetarium, too. Don’t miss your chance to see two special shows, only on view during Space Fest.

Catch an extended version of our popular live program Minnesota Night Sky or find out what it takes to become an ASTRONAUT. Shows every 45 minutes.

Saturday shows are now SOLD OUT. Click here to buy tickets for Sunday

ASTRONAUT takes you from Earth into space… and beyond. Experience a rocket launch from inside the body of an astronaut. Explore the amazing worlds of inner and outer space, from floating around the International Space Station to maneuvering through microscopic regions of the human body. Recommended for ages 9 and up.

Minnesota Night Sky is a live tour of the night sky, showcasing the planets, stars, and seasonal constellations currently visible from Minnesota. Recommended for all ages.

Special guests

Explore your universe with activities from the Minnesota Astronomical Society, Minnesota Institute for Astrophysics, UMN Aerospace Engineering department, and Ramsey County Libraries.

Science Talks

11:30am — The History of Micrometeorites
Citizen scientist Scott Peterson will share his process for finding micrometeorites and photographing them with the U of M Electron Microprobe Lab’s help.

1:00pm — What Do You Get When You Mix a Boeing 747 with a Telescope?
NASA’s Airborne Observatory examines the universe from its location inside of an airplane. Karina Leppik, a former flight planner and mission director, will share how this unique observatory works.

2:30pm — How Far is That? Understanding Distance in Our Solar System
The New Horizons spacecraft launched on January 19, 2006, and now continues on its unparalleled journey of exploration with the close flyby of a Kuiper Belt object called Ultima Thule. How far is that? NASA Solar System Ambassador Dee McLellan will explore this question using some models to help illustrate these vast distances in our solar system.

Meet the Scientists

Minnesota Institute for Astrophysics
Saturday, 11 am – 3 pm
MifA is dedicated to bringing the excitement of modern astrophysical research to the public. Stop by to learn more about their programs and see real meteorites.

UMN Department of Aerospace Engineering and Mechanics, Uninhabited Aerial Vehicle Lab
Saturday, 11 am – 3 pm
The UAV Lab’s research team develops and supports a world-class, low-cost, open-source avionics platform enabling research and education within the department and worldwide. Come check out their displays of aircrafts.

Dee McLellan, NASA Solar System Ambassador
Saturday, 11am – 1pm
Join Dee to create a balloon-driven rocket that will attempt to deploy a payload into a specific landing area. our experimentation and testing will help us understand some of the challenges of landing on Mars.

Minnesota Astronomical Society
Saturday, 11am – 3pm
See a scale model of the inner solar system to help explain the actual size of the solar system, and watch a demonstration on how an object’s weight varies from one planet to another.

Space Fest has been generously supported by the Hubbard Broadcasting Foundation and Ruth & John Huss.