More than 600 guests celebrate 14th Annual Space Day at the San Diego Air & Space Museum

Space Day activities included visiting with Astronaut Woody Spring, space related demonstrations, giveaways, and fun, hands-on activities with local and national space industry experts.

San Diego, CA - More than 600 guests celebrated the 14^th Annual Space Day at the San Diego Air & Space Museum in Balboa Park on Saturday, May 13. Space Day featured demonstrations, giveaways, and fun, hands-on activities with local and national space industry experts, including NASA Astronaut Woody Spring, who spent more than 12 hours walking in space while aboard the Space Shuttle Atlantis.

Spring served as a mission specialist on STS-61-B -- NASA’s23^rd Space Shuttle mission and the second using Space Shuttle Atlantis, which flew November 26, 1985 through December 3, 1985. He was responsible for launching three communications satellites and performed two “Space Walks,” or EVAs. During the EVAs, which totaled more than 12 hours, Spring investigated Space Station construction techniques, large structure manipulation while on the end of the remote arm, and a time and motion study for comparison between Earth training and Space performance.

At Space Day, kids of all ages talked to space experts, touched a meteorite, built and flew paper rockets, and designed their own space mission patches.

In addition to the San Diego Air & Space Museum, other Space Day presenters included: NASA; JPL; Sally Ride Science; SETI; Lockheed Martin; El Trompo Museo Interactivo; San Diego Astronomy Association; UCSD Near-Space Balloon; General Atomics; The Planetary Society; Geek Girl; and FIRST Robotics.

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The San Diego Air & Space Museum is California’s official air and space museum and education center. The Museum is an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution and was the first aero-themed Museum to be accredited by the American Alliance of Museums. Now showing: Be the Astronaut, a fun, interactive experience where you fly and spaceship, drive a rover and land on the Moon, Mars, Jupiter and an asteroid. The Museum is located at 2001 Pan American Plaza, Balboa Park, San Diego, CA 92101. The Museum and gift store are open daily from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. with admissions until 4:30 p.m. Closed Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day.