The famous scientist Sir Frederick Hoyle once said, \Space isn't remote at all. It's only an hour's drive away if your car could go straight upwards."" Of course, if that's still too distant, it is good to know you can just head down the street to the UW Space Place, 1605 S. Park St.
And if you are thinking about putting off studying for those finals at least one more weekend, Space Place has the ticket for you, as they will be hosting a guided day tour Saturday to visit Chicago's world-famous Adler Planetarium and Yerkes Observatory.
Established in 1990 by the UW-Madison's Astronomy Department's Space Astronomy Laboratory, the UW Space Place is a place to ""share the fun, excitement and sheer wonder of space and astronomy with school children, school teachers, community groups and the general public,"" said Dr. Jim Lattis, director of the education center and one of the founders of Space Place.
A UW-Madison alumnus, Lattis began working with Space Place right after finishing graduate school, and said he understands the importance of carrying on the university's tradition of excellence.
""UW-Madison's astronomers have a long history of science outreach going back more than 120 years to the opening of Washburn Observatory,"" Lattis said. ""Space Place carries that mission along.""
According to Kay Kriewald, a Space Place Educational Outreach Specialist, Space Place is fun, interactive and full of place of learning, featuring ""displays, hands-on exhibits and programs to include a variety of offerings for both children and adults.""
There are monthly presentations on space and science topics, all open to the public, as well as an amateur radio license workshop and radio technician class. Space Place has several collaborations with community groups to organize public sky viewing events, such as the recent Leonid meteor shower party, and twice a year hosts telescope clinics and fairs to educate the public in how to buy and use telescopes.
The long-term goals for Space Place are ""continuing outreach programs for the public and schools, developing new ways to reach other parts of our community, and experimenting with new outreach programs that can support and stimulate interest in science, mathematics, and technology,"" Lattis said.
Those interested in attending the Chicago tour should call UW Space Place at 262-4779 by Friday to make arrangements.
