Space Fest 2023
Join us February 3–5 for Space Fest
Have you ever wondered what it might be like to live on Mars? How will we get there? What challenges will we face along the way? What have we discovered by sending spacecraft before people? Join us in exploring these questions and more through guest speakers from NASA and the University of Minnesota, demonstrations, and hands-on activities at the Bell Museum’s fifth annual Space Fest!
The event kicks off on Friday night with a star party investigating our planetary next-door neighbor. Saturday and Sunday will be packed with activities, including special showings of the newest Bell Museum original production, Mars: The Ultimate Voyage.
Throughout the weekend, enjoy presentations by researchers and special guests (including a former NASA astronaut!) and space-themed activities throughout the building.
- Get creative by making a mini Mars diorama.
- Try your hand at getting a crew safely to Mars and back with a new board game.
- Connect with University students and faculty whose research helps us go the distance.
Friday, February 3
The red planet takes center stage as we kick off Space Fest 2023: Going the Distance with a special star party! Outside, we’ll have our telescopes set up to observe Mars and our favorite deep space objects (weather permitting). Inside, you can explore hands-on activities, and experience the thrill of going the distance with the original Apollo missions in the planetarium.
Planetarium Show:
One Giant Leap short film
Showtimes: 7:40, 8:10, 8:40
Register Here
Saturday, February 4
University Researchers and students in the galleries, 10 am–4 pm
Connect with University researchers as you explore the museum galleries! You’ll find them throughout the second floor with hands-on activities, demonstrations, and a wealth of knowledge to share about how we’re going the distance in space.
Journey to Mars Activities, 10 am–4 pm
The journey to Mars and back will be filled with challenges for astronauts and scientists to overcome. At Space Fest, you can help us test new activities while you explore the hazards of deep space travel in a set of interactive activities guided by our educators!
Sensory Friendly Saturday, 4:30–6:30 pm
Visitors with sensory sensitivities are invited to join us for Sensory Friendly Space Fest! Explore the galleries, get hands-on with space games and activities, and enjoy a 5:00 pm planetarium show – all with fewer visitors, quieter sounds, and lowered lights.
Each day, we’ll feature brief presentations and Q&A with experts on space exploration in Horizon Hall:
A Story of Space Exploration with retired NASA astronaut, 10:30am
Captain Heidemarie M. Stefanyshyn-Piper, USN (retired)
Captain Stefanyshyn-Piper will present scholarship awards to two UMN students (Madelyn Blake and Charles Collinge) on behalf of the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation. She’ll share stories about her time as a NASA astronaut, and offer insights for the next generation of scientists, engineers, and explorers.
Following her talk, Captain Stefanyshyn-Piper will be available for a meet-and-greet with Bell visitors.
The Dream of Mars: A History of Imagining Life on Another World, 12pm
Space historian and Smithsonian Air & Space Museum Curator, Matt Shindell
Humans have been imaging voyages to Mars for centuries, since even before astronomers discovered that the planets were other worlds. By looking at the history of imagined journeys to Mars, we can understand how ideas about the red planet reflect people’s beliefs and understandings of themselves, their relationship to their world, and the purpose of the cosmos. From poetic flights to Mars assisted by angels, to science fiction depictions of astronauts and settlers in Mars-bound spaceships, to NASA’s plans to send humans to Mars, this talk will look at the importance of Mars to our history and future.
Cruise Through the Solar System with NASA, 1pm
NASA Goddard Planetary Science Outreach Coordinator and U of M alumna, Staci Tiedeken.
Staci will take us on a journey to explore the solar system. We’ll discover exciting missions to places such as our nearest celestial neighbor, the Moon; neighboring planet Mars; and the near-Earth asteroid Bennu, the source of NASA’s first asteroid sample which is aboard a spacecraft making its way back to Earth right now!
Sunday, February 5
University Researchers and students in the galleries, 10 am–4 pm
Connect with University researchers as you explore the museum galleries! You’ll find them throughout the second floor with hands-on activities, demonstrations, and a wealth of knowledge to share about how we’re going the distance in space.
Journey to Mars Activities, 10 am–4 pm
The journey to Mars and back will be filled with challenges for astronauts and scientists to overcome. At Space Fest, you can help us test new activities while you explore the hazards of deep space travel in a set of interactive activities guided by our educators!
Each day, we’ll feature brief presentations and Q&A with experts on space exploration in Horizon Hall:
The Sun Touches Everything, 11am
NASA Heliophysics Communications & Outreach Lead, Denise Hill
The Sun touches EVERYTHING! It is Earth’s life force. From October 2023 to December 2024 NASA is highlighting the importance of our star and its effect on everything —through an event they are calling the Heliophysics Big Year. The Heliophysics Big Year will be a global celebration of solar science and the Sun’s influence on Earth and the entire solar system. And NASA wants YOU to be a part of it!
Join Denise Hill, lead for Communication and Outreach for the Heliophysics Division at NASA, as she provides a sneak peek into the Heliophysics Big Year and all that it entails including two epic solar eclipses. You’ll learn fascinating facts about our “extraordinarily ordinary” star, have some fun and get ready to participate in the Heliophysics Big Year!
The Dream of Mars: A History of Imagining Life on Another World, 12pm
Space historian and Smithsonian Air & Space Museum Curator, Matt Shindell
Humans have been imaging voyages to Mars for centuries, since even before astronomers discovered that the planets were other worlds. By looking at the history of imagined journeys to Mars, we can understand how ideas about the red planet reflect people’s beliefs and understandings of themselves, their relationship to their world, and the purpose of the cosmos. From poetic flights to Mars assisted by angels, to science fiction depictions of astronauts and settlers in Mars-bound spaceships, to NASA’s plans to send humans to Mars, this talk will look at the importance of Mars to our history and future.
Covering the Launch of Artemis 1, 1pm
NASA Solar System Ambassador Christopher Mick
Christopher Mick is a NASA Solar System Ambassador, based in Hudson, Wisconsin. Over the years as part of his STEM education outreach efforts, Christopher has contributed interviews and articles to his local newspaper, the Star Observer. He applied for and received press credentials to cover the launch of Artemis 1 and flew down to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida in the Spring, Summer and Fall to document the most powerful rocket in the world.
In the Education Wing
Mars Diorama
Make a Mars mini Diorama in the Hive
Watch SciGirls
Check out the premiere of TWO new space-themed episodes of the hit show SciGirls
Thank you to Ruth & John Huss for supporting Minnesota’s Astronomy Classroom programming