Space Fest: Love Letter to Earth
Join us February 13–15 for Space Fest
What makes Earth so special?
It’s a pale blue dot.
It’s a Goldilocks planet.
It’s a blue marble.
Kick off the weekend on Friday, February 13 for our late night Star Party or join us during the day on Saturday, February 14 and Sunday, February 15 to explore our planet, Earth. We’ll take a look at what makes Earth “just right,” how we learn about it from space, and what we can do to be good stewards of our special planet. Throughout the weekend we’ll have talks, hands-on activities, and researchers in the museum!
Space Fest at Home
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- Links to watch our featured speaker talks
Click here for Astronaut Bob Cabana’s talk (2/14) Click here for Scott Peterson’s talk (2/15) - Instructions for making our featured activity from home
- Links to watch our featured speaker talks
Click here for instructions to make your love letter to earth
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- A free, flat-screen version of one of the weekend’s planetarium shows
Friday, February 13
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Star Party
Friday, February 13 | 6:30–8 pm Read MoreJoin us for our first Star Party of the year, kicking off Space Fest! Outside, we’ll have our telescopes set up to observe our favorite deep space objects (weather and temperature permitting). Inside, you can explore hands-on activities, and our expert astronomy team will highlight cosmic sights in our planetarium.
Saturday, February 14
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Dioramas: A View of Earth from Space
Saturday, February 14 | 10 am–4 pmCreate a mini-diorama of a view of earth as seen from space. Craft a top-down scene of your home, a place you want to visit someday, or one whole hemisphere of the Earth and Moon!
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Love Letters to Earth
Saturday, February 14 | 10 am–4 pmThis year, we’re connecting as a community around our common love for the natural world, and exploring how we can find hope in crisis and imagine new futures for our climate. Create your own love letter to Earth and check out love letters to our home planet that were written by Bell Museum members!
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Space Fest: Sensory Friendly Afternoon
Saturday, February 14 | 4:30–6:30 pm Read MoreJoin us during Space Fest for a special late afternoon Sensory Friendly Saturday! Explore the entire museum, make crafts, and play games while learning about our special planet. Experience our Minnesota Journeys gallery, temporary exhibits, the Touch & See Lab, and a planetarium show at 5:30 pm—all with lowered lighting, quieter sounds, and fewer visitors.
Anyone who can benefit from this environment is welcome to attend this program.
Each day, we’ll feature brief presentations and Q&A with experts on space exploration in Horizon Hall!
Astronaut Bob Cabana
Saturday, February 14
Presentation – 1:15–2:00 pm
Meet & Greet – 2:15–3:45 pm
Robert Cabana is a former NASA Astronaut and retired Marine pilot and test pilot with over 7,000 hours in over 50 different types of aircraft. He was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the Marine Corps after graduating from the U. S. Naval Academy in 1971 with a degree in mathematics. In September of 2000 after 16 years as an active astronaut, he retired from the Marine Corps as a Colonel after accepting a Senior Executive Service position for NASA as the Manager for International Operations of the Space Station Program. He most recently served as the NASA Associate Administrator in Washington DC, the highest-ranking career civil servant, retiring from NASA at the end of 2023 after 38 years with the agency. He is a veteran of four Space Shuttle missions serving twice as pilot on Discovery on STS-41 and STS-53, and commanding Columbia on STS-65 and Endeavour on STS-88, the first International Space Station assembly mission. Key assignments in his career included Chief of the Astronaut Office, Director of Flight Crew Operations, Deputy Director of the Johnson Space Center, Director of the Stennis Space Center, and 12 ½ years as Director of the Kennedy Space Center where he led the team through the safe fly out of the final 12 Shuttle missions and the transition to the vibrant multi-user spaceport that it is today. He is currently serving as the Chairman of the International Space Station Advisory Committee and as a part-time senior advisor to Kam Ghaffarian and iBX.
Sunday, February 15
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Dioramas: A View of Earth from Space
Sunday, February 15 | 10 am–4 pmCreate a mini-diorama of a view of earth as seen from space. Craft a top-down scene of your home, a place you want to visit someday, or one whole hemisphere of the Earth and Moon!
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Love Letters to Earth
Sunday, February 15 | 10 am–4 pmThis year, we’re connecting as a community around our common love for the natural world, and exploring how we can find hope in crisis and imagine new futures for our climate. Create your own love letter to Earth and check out love letters to our home planet that were written by Bell Museum members!
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Space Fest: Story Time
Sunday, February 15 | 11:15am & 12:15pmStory Time at the Bell is an invitation for families to gather and listen to fun and engaging science and nature stories together! We will read stories about different cultures and regions of the world and explore our universe, from the far reaches of the galaxy down to tiny microbes here on Earth.
Recommended for ages 2- 7 years old with their families, but all ages are welcome!
Each day, we’ll feature brief presentations and Q&A with experts on space exploration in Horizon Hall!
Scott Peterson
Sunday, February 15, 11:45 am
Urban Micrometeorites: Stardust Found on Rooftops
Join us as Scott Peterson shares the history of micrometeorites, where to find them, what they look like, and possible future achievements.
Planetarium Showtimes
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Saturday |
Sunday |
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| 10:30AM |
Habitat Earth |
The Stellars |
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11:30AM |
Minnesota in the Cosmos |
Minnesota in the Cosmos |
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12:30PM |
We Are Guardians |
Habitat Earth |
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1:30PM |
Habitat Earth |
The Stellars |
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2:30PM |
Minnesota in the Cosmos |
Minnesota in the Cosmos |
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3:30PM |
We Are Guardians |
Habitat Earth |
Habitat Earth
From the tallest trees to the smallest fungi, dig into the dynamic relationships in our connected world. Learn about the human impact on the world around us and the steps that we can take to maintain the human and ecological networks.
Minnesota in the Cosmos
The land beneath our feet holds a deep cosmic and geologic history. Join Jacob as he explores this history while on a field trip to Interstate State Park. Starting with the formation of the solar system, follow along on this uniquely Minnesota journey through time and space.
The Stellars
When the Stellars–Imani, Aki, and John–accidentally crash land on Earth, they discover their ship’s ecosystem has been critically damaged! The audience is invited on a mission to help the Stellars fix their ship before they run out of food. Along the way, the audience will learn all about how plants grow, the insects that pollinate plants, how fungal decay helps keep habitats healthy, and how to use the scientific method to solve problems and protect nature!
We Are Guardians
We are all connected. Come and find out how. Join us on a journey into, under, and around the many ecosystems across our planet. Discover how each component fits together, and how the health of each part is vital to the health of Planet Earth. Find out how, with the help of satellites and scientific study, we can understand the links between human activities and climate change, and what we can do to work together to improve the health of our shared home.
Parking
- Paid surface lot parking, managed by UMN Parking & Transportation Services, is available with an entrance off of Larpenteur Ave. The daily rate is $6. Note: The parking fee is waived for any vehicle in the lot under 10 minutes. Pay stations only accept credit cards.
- The St. Paul campus circulator is a complimentary bus that runs every 20 minutes and drops off in front of the Bell. Please see the website for route and stop details.
- A complimentary, accessible shuttle will be traveling between these off-site locations and the Bell entrance from 10am–4pm.
- UMN Lot #171
1532 Cleveland Avenue, Falcon Heights, MN 55108
(paid parking)
Shuttle will pick up on the corner of Cleveland and Dudley - UMN Lot #175
2067 Dudley Avenue, Falcon Heights, MN 55108
(paid parking)
Shuttle will pick up on the corner of Cleveland and Dudley
- UMN Lot #171