PR: Texas Youth Invited to Celebrate Aviation History, Shuttle Launch

Ceremony and activities planned at The Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum Nov. 1

AUSTIN, TX, October 26, 2010 – Texas-area students are invited to a day celebrating space exploration at The Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum. Monday, November 1, the Museum will host educational activities, a film screening in the IMAX® Theatre, a public unveiling ceremony for an out-of-this-world souvenir, and a viewing party for the final launch of the Discovery Space Shuttle. The day of activities is FREE to invited student groups.



On November 1, from 1 – 3:30 p.m., students of all grades can participate in educational activities presented by the Museum's Education Department, Capital BEST Robotics and GirlStart. Activities include interactive robotics and hands-on science demonstrations. Students will also receive FREE admission to the Museum's permanent exhibits and the temporary special exhibition Tango Alpha Charlie: Texas Aviation Celebration. In addition, school groups can enjoy a FREEscreening of Hubble 3D, the seventh awe-inspiring film from the award-winning IMAX Space Team.


The celebration will kick off with the 1 p.m. unveiling ceremony of an Expedition 20 flight coin, gifted to the Museum by NASA Astronaut Colonel Timothy Kopra—a native Texan—after his summer 2009 expedition to the International Space Station. The gift commemorates Austin's first-ever live downlink from the International Space Station to the Museum's IMAX Theatre in August 2009, when Col. Kopra addressed some 300 students and answered questions about science and life in space. The Museum has
permanently installed the flight coin in the colorful terrazzo floor of the building's Rotunda; look for it embedded in the night sky of the campfire scene. Col. Kopra, an Austin native, will introduce the unveiling via a special pre-recorded video message.

The day will culminate with a live viewing of the launch of the Discovery Space Shuttle (STS-133), with Colonel Timothy Kopra on board, at 3:40 p.m., pending no delays in the launch schedule. The day's activities will still take place even if the shuttle does not launch on schedule.


ABOUT THE BOB BULLOCK TEXAS STATE HISTORY MUSEUM
The Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum in downtown Austin, Texas, tells the Story of Texas with three floors of interactive exhibits, the special effects show. The Star of Destiny. in the Texas Spirit Theater, and Austin’s only IMAX® Theatre featuring the signature large-format film .Texas: The Big Picture.. The Education Department brings the Museum to life through engaging, fun, and educational programming for a wide variety of audiences. The Museum also has a Cafe with indoor and outdoor seating and a Museum Store with something for the Texan in everyone. The driving force behind the creation of the Texas State History Museum was former Lieutenant Governor Bob Bullock. The Museum is a division of the State Preservation Board.