Educational Activities - 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Participants try their hand at making repairs in space. When spacesuit gloves are inflated in space, they become stiff, making complex hardware difficult to manipulate. Test skills in a simulated space mission working against the clock to complete the space repair. Working in the airless environment of space poses many dangers.
Liquids boil, gases expand, and communication is challenging.
Learn how a spacesuit is designed to protect against this harsh environment in a 25-minute live demonstration. Learn how hydroponic gardens may feed astronauts. Even in outer space plants need pollinators. See the butterflies that flew in space as part of the S.T.A.R.S. TM program. Life Cycles of Butterflies Investigate the life cycle of butterflies with experts from the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History.