Celebrate 60 Years of the Space Age May 13 at the National Air and Space Museum

May 8, 2017
News Release
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children playing on model of space shuttle

This year’s Space Day at the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum will take place Saturday, May 13, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sixty years after the launch of Sputnik, visitors of all ages are invited to celebrate the space age and learn how space activities affect their lives today. This family day at the museum in Washington, D.C., will include talks by experts, demonstrations and hands-on activities for all ages.

On Oct. 4, 1957, Sputnik 1 launched into space marking the beginning of an age not only of innovative technology and exploration, but of popular cultural interest in the unknown beyond Earth. Space Day will give museum visitors an opportunity to learn about how they use space-related technology every day and what it is like to live and work in space. Valerie Neal, chair of the museum’s Space History Department, will join Jim Green, director of NASA’s Planetary Science Division, and other experts to share their perspectives on the history of space exploration, how current technologies are used today and plans for the future. Families can participate in story times, craft activities and a dress-up photo op. Everyone will have the opportunity to share and record their personal space-related memories.

Space Day, an annual event sponsored by Lockheed Martin, is designed to highlight scientific innovations and encourage students to consider careers in space exploration as they study math, science, engineering and technology.

For more information, visit https://airandspace.si.edu/events/space-day-7.

The National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C., is located at Sixth Street and Independence Avenue S.W. The Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center is located in Chantilly, Va., near Washington Dulles International Airport. Both facilities are open daily from 10 a.m. until 5:30 p.m. (closed Dec. 25). Admission is free, but there is a $15 fee for parking at the Udvar-Hazy Center.

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SI-270-2017

Media Only

Alison Wood

202-633-2376

woodac@si.edu

Amy Stamm

202-633-2392

stamma@si.edu