8 things you won`t want to miss

The Huntsville Times, Thursday, June 24, 2010 »
GO.10 » Thursday, June 24, 2010
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YOUR GUIDE TO THE STAR WARS EXHIBIT
8 THINGS YOU WON’T WANT TO MISS
By Chris Welch
At left, a Sebulba from the pod racing
scenes in Episodes I-III. It’s actually a
maquette – a small model – made
during concept development to explore the looks of some characters.
Times Entertainment Writer
chris.welch@htimes.com
Are you a “Star Wars” geek? A movie fan? Into science?
Or just curious?
Whatever your interest, the U.S. Space & Rocket Center’s newest
exhibit, “Star Wars: Where Science Meets Imagination,” has a little
bit for everybody. On Monday, Go! Your good Times magazine got
a sneak peek at the exhibit, which officially opens tonight with a
1. A no brainer – the costumes
Photos by Eric Schultz/The Huntsville Times
Everybody likes to see what the stars, including Harrison
Ford, Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill and Ewan McGregor, wore
during the movies. The three Chewbacca costumes are really huge – and hairy – and Darth Vader’s menacing armor
costume, along with the three pieces of his mask, are also
a must-see. Costumes include those worn by Princess Leia,
Han Solo, Anakin Skywalker, Mace Windu and Obi-Wan
Kenobi.
ribbon-cutting and VIP party. It opens to the general public Friday
and continues until Sept. 6.
Fortunately, the Force was with us as we checked out the exhibit
– thanks to our tour guide, Kimberly Stockton. She was seeing the
items for the first time, and that enthusiasm came through loud
and clear.
Stockton is not only a Space Camp counselor and now “Star
Wars” tour guide, but she’s also a professional costume fashion de-
2. Robot Object Theatre
Visitors enter a large-scale model of a Jawa sandcrawler’s rusted, steel
interior and meet C-3PO and real-world robotics engineer Cynthia
Breazeal, director of the Robotic Life Group at MIT Media Lab, through
the magic of video. C-3PO and Breazeal carry on a conversation in
front of 24 guests as she explains how human traits are duplicated in
robots. R2D2 also helps Breazeal activate various robots, including
ones that clean sewers and put out fires. There’s also a cute video of
robots playing soccer. It lasts about 15 minutes. Expect a line.
signer and has been in a few movies as an extra, including “Premonition.” She had a whole galactic universe of “Star Wars” information crammed inside her head and was more than happy to share
it.
She helped come up with the Top Eight Things to See during
your visit to “Star Wars: Where Science Meets Imagination,” although, we all know eight isn’t enough.
These are in no specific order:
3. Human or Machine
One of the most fun exhibits, where three visitors experience what
life might be like in a world where people can change themselves
through technology advances. You’re given options such as amplified
hearing, better vision, a bigger memory chip or instant data connect.
Three of us were given scenarios to deal with – student, guy on a second date or crime fighter – and the option of which technologies to
add. Our scenario was second date, and after we choose better eyes,
ears and data, we still ended up with a broken heart. Go figure.
4. Building Communities
This virtual reality simulation lets visitors design three different communities on Skywalker’s home planet of
Tatooine, which has a harsh climate and scarce resources.
Visitors learn if they have what it takes to survive by designing a spaceport, moisture farm or Jawa camp. It wasn’t
quite ready when we went through, but by placing cards on
a table – the physical landscape – a computer superimposes a building on a site in virtual reality and real time.
The bare facts
What: “Star Wars: Where Science Meets
Imagination” exhibit
Where: U.S. Space & Rocket Center, I-565,
Exit 15
VIP night: Tonight, 9 p.m. to midnight, $75.
Some times sold out.
General admission: Daily: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m,
adults $30, children (4-12) $20
Sunday through Thursday: 5:30 to 9 p.m.,
adults $20, children $15
Friday-Saturday: 5:30 to 11 p.m., adults $20,
children $15
Millennium Falcon: “Star Wars” admission
plus $5
When: Friday through Sept. 6
To purchase tickets:
spacecamp.com/store/events, 800-6377223; tickets are sold by time slot. Flash
photography and strollers prohibited.
5. Robot Design Lab
This is the first exhibit you encounter when you walk
in, and instantly become robot designers. Visitors
deal with the robot’s mobility, perception and programming. You can choose components such as the
wheels and sensors for a mini robot, then program it
to accomplish a task.
6. One-seat hovercraft
OK, everybody loves bumper cars, right? Transportation is one of the big
themes for the “Star Wars” exhibit, and much attention is given to how the
landspeeders or other craft hovered. The one-seat hovercraft looks like a
three-wheeled motorcycle powered by an amped-up leaf blower. The trick
is driving in a 12-foot circular enclosure without much control because you
have no friction or gravity. It was harder than it looked. Expect a line.
And speaking of landspeeders, Luke Skywalker's original T-34 landspeeder
from “Star Wars: Episode IV” is prominently on display. It’s pretty neat to
see it up close. (Try to ignore the wheels underneath the vehicle.)
7. The real world
There’s lots of real-life applications throughout “Star Wars,” including
how Stormtroopers adapted to sub-freezing conditions on the planet Hoth. Also, fans remember how Darth Vader’s limbs were severed
and he was severely burned by lava, then encased in his black armored suit, mask and respirator. An exhibit shows real-world medical
breakthroughs, including a living skin substitute and a prosthetic
knee that features a hydraulic piston, microprocessor and rechargeable lithium battery. Pictured is Luke’s prosthetic hand.
8. Props/models
Of course, you can’t go to a “Star Wars” exhibit and not check out the
light sabers, right? There are three or four different versions used by
Luke, Obi-Wan, Darth Maul and Count Dooku and a variety of other
weapons used by everybody from Chewbacca to the Wookiees.
There are also countless models, including the Millennium Falcon,
the Rebel Alliance X-Wing, armored tanks and the Imperial Star Destroyer, and robots including R2D2, C-3PO, Battle, Pit and Imperial
droids.