OXFORD, Miss. – An interactive mobile exhibit that gives
visitors a simulated journey into space comes to the
University of Mississippi Sept. 20-21.
NASA’s Vision for Space Exploration Experience will be
parked in front of the Old Chemistry building on Lyceum
Circle. The display, sponsored by the School of
Engineering, is free and open to the public 9 a.m.-4 p.m.
Thursday and 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Friday.
At NASA’s request, the school is planning demonstrations in
Carrier Hall to complement activities in the mobile unit.
School and other groups are invited to schedule visits by
calling 662-915-1849 or e-mailing mwoolsey@olemiss.edu.
Inside the exhibit, patrons will experience a virtual
journey to the moon and Mars, surrounded by stars and other
planets. The 3-D imagery projects the illusion of stepping
on various surfaces of the moon and Mars, and flying to
Saturn’s moon Titan. Holographic video screens create
floating images, allowing visitors’ hand motions to
“control” and “create” bases for human life on the
planets.
“This NASA trailer on campus will provide an excellent
opportunity to demonstrate Ole Miss engineering to middle
and high school students and the Oxford and Lafayette
County community,” said Maxine Woolsey, the school’s
education outreach specialist.
UM alumnus Richard G. Turner, who works at the
NASA/Marshall Space Flight Center’s Office of Strategic
Analysis and Communications, was instrumental in bringing
the exhibit to campus.
“As a graduate of the Ole Miss School of Engineering, I
wanted to bring this exhibit to my alma mater in hopes that
it might possibly inspire visitors and students to become
engineers and scientists who help NASA explore space,”
Turner said.
The exhibit is transported by a tractor and trailer that
occupy an 80-by-30-foot space. Its tentative tour schedule
calls for stops at the Mississippi Museum of Natural
Science in Jackson Sept. 25-27 and at the University of
Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg Oct. 1-3.
“We wanted to come to Ole Miss the weekend of Sept. 22
because the university will be hosting the national
champion Florida Gators,” Turner said. “Since Florida is
the home of the John F. Kennedy Space Center, which is led
by Ole Miss alum Bill Parsons, we feel that it is an
excellent opportunity for Ole Miss and NASA to promote both
the Campaign for the School of Engineering and NASA’s
Vision for Space Exploration.”
“The NASA mobile exhibit will definitely expose the
students to the wonders of engineering and space
exploration,” said Kai Fong Lee, engineering dean. “We are
thrilled that it is coming to the Ole Miss campus.”
For more information, to schedule tours and to request
assistance related to a disability, contact Maxine Woolsey
at 662-915-1849 or e-mail her at mwoolsey@olemiss.edu. For
more information about the School of Engineering, visit