The U.S. Space & Rocket Center has been putting on the Thursday Night at the Museum event every Thursday of this summer, where they invite a guest speaker to talk to an audience for free. I attended the event tonight.

A traveling exhibit on the NASA Vision for Space Exploration (“To the Moon, Mars, and Beyond”) was parked in front of the museum. There was a moon rock to touch. I was initially impressed with the technology that allowed me to use my finger as a mouse cursor without any kind of touch screen, controlled by motion sensors nearly surrounding my hand. But that was just the beginning. The second half of the exhibit was held in a room in which the motion of one's feet “moved” the computer graphics on the floor. For example, graphical Mars rocks could be kicked by moving one's foot next to the graphic, and graphical water could be made into waves by walking.

At 5:30, former astronaut Story Musgrave arrived with his family. This is the same astronaut who I heard speak at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center's Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony. He has an interesting back-story. He gave a brief talk outside the VSE exhibit, aimed at MSFC employees, thanking them for their hard work and dedication.

At 6:00 was a deliciously unhealthy reception. At 6:30, a larger audience (including some Space Campers) attended a sit-down question-and-answer session with Story. I loved hearing him talking about Shuttle re-entry, watching the plasma through the window as the Shuttle glided through the atmosphere, and conducting an “experiment” where he watched salt packets change from “floating” to “falling” to determine when the Shuttle was “coming home.” It was a fun event.