Blast off with Moon to Mars, a new interactive STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math) exhibit at Long Island Children’s Museum. Created by the Omaha Children’s Museum and designed with support from NASA’s Deep Space Exploration Systems at Johnson Space Center, this exhibit will transport children to a world of possibilities about space travel.  The exhibit will be in residence at LICM from January 18 through May 4. 

Young guests will be inspired by the current realities and future dreams of interplanetary travel while experiencing firsthand the diversity of talent and experience that a team requires to make space exploration a reality.

Museum explorers will design and fly their own rocket, hover high above another planet in our Orion Spacecraft, experience what it feels like to walk in a reduced gravity environment and navigate the new terrain in the Lunar Rover. 

“From the Moon to Mars, and all the stars in between, there is a natural fascination with space among children,” explains LICM Director of Education Ashley Niver.  “With the recent advancements in space exploration, like the launch of the James Webb telescope and the evolution of SpaceX, it's the perfect time to introduce an exhibit focused on the future Artemis Mission. The Moon to Mars exhibit offers children endless opportunities to nurture their curiosity through the most effective way we know they learn – play! It also provides a valuable opportunity for parents to discover ways to incorporate big concepts like space exploration, physics and engineering into play at home. Whether it’s building a Martian landscape with pillows or creating a rocket ship out of a cardboard box, these activities spark storytelling that encourages imagination and inspires the 'big thinkers' of tomorrow."

The Moon to Mars exhibit features six immersive areas, tailored to specific types of play, including physical, social, inquisitive and creative.

Featured Moon to Mars Experiences:

Orion Spacecraft

• Take the controls while hovering in orbit high above the planet in the Orion Spacecraft.  (Types of Play: Imaginative, Social, Physical)

Lunar Rover

 • Navigate new terrain as your steer your Lunar Rover on this mysterious new world.  (Types of Play: Physical, Imaginative)

Rocket Launchers

 • Learn what elements are crucial to successful flight as you design and build your own rockets, then launch them across the room with our rocket launchers.  (Types of Play: Creative, Inquisitive)

Moon Base Builder

 • Once you arrive on your new planet it’s time to make it inhabitable, by constructing a new base at the Moon Base Builder. (Types of Play: Imaginative, Social, Physical)

 Lunar Leaps

 • Learn how a reduced gravitational pull affects walking on the Lunar Leaps.  (Types of Play: Physical, Imaginative)

Space Academy Kiosk

 • Supplement learning with an interactive video display console depicting life in space, discussing the newly designed spacesuits, meet the astronauts, and more! (Types of Play: Linquistic)

To complement the exhibit, LICM will offer a variety of public programs during its run. For opening weekend (January 18 & 19), visitors will make their own Orion spacecraft (Blast Off!) and a Mars Rover (Red Rover Red Rover). Both activities will run from 1-3 p.m.   Additional hands-on activities will take place throughout the exhibit run, including:

• Pluto Day Play (Sunday, February 16 from 1-3 p.m.) - We’re celebrating Pluto Day! Come learn all about this tiny but mighty planet and make an interstellar Pluto portrait to bring home.
• Digitalis Planetarium – (Monday, February 17-Friday, February 21) - The Digitalis Planetarium is on display at LICM this week with help from our neighbors at the Cradle of Aviation! In this portable, inflatable planetarium dome, discover the majesty of the stars and our universe during a 30-minute presentation led by a trained educator from the Cradle of Aviation.  Four planetarium performances will be offered each day.
• My Favorite Martian (Monday, February 17 – Friday, February 21 from Noon to 2 p.m.) We’re contemplating the existence of life on other planets by making our own alien friend to take home.
• Blast Off! (Sunday, February 23 from 1-3 p.m.)  - Orion is a very special spacecraft that was built to carry astronauts into deep space missions farther than ever before. Launch into fun by making your own flying Orion spacecraft.
• STEM Explorers: Engineers Week (Saturday, Feb 22 from noon to 2 p.m.)-Discover the secrets of the solar system and imagine what lies beyond our planet! This program is made possible with the support of National Grid.

Additionally, the LICM Theater will offer a production of Interstellar Cinderella, a future take on the classic story.  Set in 3017, Cinderella is a space engineer who is looking to revolutionize space travel with her new invention.  The production runs  February 7-March 21. Tickets are priced at $11 with Museum admission ($9 LICM members) and $15 theater only.  (Check www.licm.org/calendar for performance schedule.) 

About the Long Island Children’s Museum (www.licm.org)

The mission of Long Island Children’s Museum (LICM) is to connect all our communities’ children, and those who care for them, to a life of wonder, imagination and exploration. At LICM, children discover their passions and their relationship to the world we share. The 40,000-square-foot museum serves over 300,000 children and adults annually. The private, not-for-profit institution chartered by the New York State Board of Regents, offers museum-based educational programs and cultural experiences, as well as an extensive community outreach program offered in schools, libraries and youth centers across Long Island. Additionally, the Children’s Museum operates the historic Nunley’s Carousel in association with Nassau County, one of three intact Stein & Goldstein carousels still in existence.

Recognized with several honors, including the National Medal from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), LICM is accredited by the American Alliance of Museums (AAM), the gold standard of museum excellence. It is currently the only accredited children’s museum in New York State and is one of only 16 accredited children’s museums nationwide. LICM has earned 4-stars on Charity Navigator and has Platinum Transparency on Candid.