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Special Events
Voyage of Europa Clipper: Exploring an Alien Ocean
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Get a head-start on NASA's mission to Europa by visiting a special pop-up exhibit at the Academy, on view September 4–9 only!
Europa, one of Jupiter's 95 moons, could be concealing a big secret beneath its icy crust: A vast saltwater ocean that just might support life. This October, NASA will launch Europa Clipper, a cutting-edge spacecraft that will collect the data scientists need to determine whether Europa is home to alien life.
Feel the astronomical excitement at a limited-run exhibit at the Academy, where NASA experts, fascinating models, and hands-on experiments offer guests an inside look at this historic mission.
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Exhibit highlights
Inflatable model of Europa Get an up-close look at a stunning 8-foot inflatable model of Europa, one of Jupiter’s moons, known for its subsurface ocean.
Spacecraft and instrument models Explore detailed models of the Europa Clipper spacecraft and its instruments, designed to draw parallels between the life-sustaining oceans on Earth and the subsurface ocean on Europa.
Interactive experiments Participate in hands-on experiments that explain the sophisticated instruments onboard the spacecraft. From imagers to magnetometers, the experiments will demonstrate how we see, smell, and examine Europa with UV light demos, sniffing atmosphere components, and feeling how the magnetic pull from Jupiter affects its moon.
Creative activities Enjoy all-ages activities that blend science with art, including writing your own poem about space like the U.S. Poet Laureate Ada Limon and coloring your own version of what Europa could look like.
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A 3.7-billion-year-old piece of space history is on exhibit at the Academy—no giant leaps required.
About the planetarium
From outer space to Earth's inner core, explore the universe from Morrison Planetarium's 75-foot digital dome.
