Bush library features NASA space exhibit

Aggie astronaut Mike Fossum to visit presidential museum

By: Christen Beck

Posted: 9/19/08

The "Beyond the Moon: NASA's Continuing Mission" exhibit will be revealed at the George Bush Presidential Library and Museum Friday.

The Bush museum, in conjunction with the Lyndon Baines Johnson presidential library and Space Center Houston, will focus on U.S. stages of space exploration.

Students, faculty and staff will have the opportunity to meet Aggie astronaut Mike Fossum. He will be at the Bush Library and Museum from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m., Sept. 26 in the Rotunda.

To honor Lyndon Johnson, the Johnson library exhibit will highlight the president's dedication to the American space program.

The Johnson library will focus on the first stages of exploration from man's curiosity of space to the technology that led to man's first walk on the moon. Specifically, the museum will focus on the Sputnik missions through Apollo 12. The Bush museum picks up in the 1970s, featuring Apollo 13, the Skylab and the International Space Station. Space Center Houston will spotlight NASA's future plans for the space program.

Susanne Cox, the curator at Bush library, began preparations for the exhibit in the spring of 2007. A few years ago, the Bush library decided to plan an exhibit in honor of the 50th anniversary of NASA.

"Several people on staff were space enthusiasts and they brought the topic up," Cox said.

Soon after discussion on the subject commenced, the Bush library team discovered that the Johnson library had begun similar plans, Cox said. A partnership between the presidential libraries was born. Eventually Space Center Houston joined the project.

Brian Blake, Bush library's public relations specialist, became involved with the project in its early stages.

"It's a lot of fun," Blake said. "You find out a lot of interesting facts on topics you may not normally do research on."

The majority of artifacts in the space exhibit were borrowed from various parties.

A private collector loaned Bush library the Soviet space suit worn by American Astronaut Shannon Lucid while she was training on a Soviet spacecraft. Shannon trained with Soviet astronauts on a Russian spacecraft during the mid-1990s.

"We curate a lot of the exhibits ourselves, so it's a unique opportunity for people in the Brazos Valley to come see an exhibit that they won't see anywhere else," Blake said.

Visitors will be able to peer at the edge of the universe through the Hubble Space telescope and chamber X-ray telescope via satellite.

Interactive games, space simulators and other gadgets will be at the exhibit. Also, visitors will learn about how pop culture, such as "Star Trek," has influenced science.

Blake said that America has become somewhat satisfied with the space movement.

"I think [Americans have] kind of lost the wonder of our accomplishments," Black said.

"There's a huge story to be told on the American space program. You could never tell it in one exhibit in the infinite amount of space we have," Black said. "But I think that it will give people a good overview [and] a sense of wanting to maybe dig a little deeper or learn a little bit more about what [NASA is] doing with the new program and the return to the moon."

Senior communication major Kristen Grelle, who joined Bush library as a collections intern last year, said she is interested in space exploration. As a child, she often visited Johnson Space Station, and consequently acquired an interest in space.

Grelle said that although she had desired to learn more about space exploration prior to this project, she was unable to find the time before this opportunity arose. This was Grelle's first project at the Bush library. Over the past several months, she has researched topics ranging from the Apollo flights to astronaut commentary.

In addition to the artifacts and activities, Grelle said Aggies who visit the museum will learn about the achievements former Aggie astronauts have accomplished in the American space program.

"I think it's so interesting," she said. "It's really cool to see how our school is directly impacting technology and space exploration right now."