For the third time in as many years, the Frontiers of Flight Museum has the honor of being selected for a LIVE amateur radio contact with the International Space Station (ISS) to allow students in the local area a rare opportunity to ask questions to an astronaut in orbit aboard the ISS.  This contact will take place on Saturday, August 5, at the Museum, during the middle of the day at a specific time to be announced soon.   

We invite students from ages 6 to 18 in the Dallas-Fort Worth area to submit their questions to be considered for this exciting educational opportunity!  To submit your question, click here: http://www.flightmuseum.com/iss-talk-live/.  The deadline for submitting proposed questions is Saturday, July 22, which is also Moon Day at the Museum.  For info visit: http://www.flightmuseum.com/moon-day/.  Students may also submit their questions in person at the Museum’s Membership Table during Moon Day. 

Students whose questions are selected (and their families) will be invited to the Museum on Saturday, August 5, 2017, to participate in this direct contact with an astronaut in orbit.  This opportunity is made possible with the cooperation of NASA and the Amateur Radio Satellite Corporation.  The event will be held in the Museum’s Hamilton Family Auditorium (on the mezzanine level) to allow the families and other Museum visitors to join in the experience.

Apollo 13’s Commander Jim Lovell Named 2017 Haddaway Award Honoree

Everything changed on NASA’s third lunar landing mission, Apollo 13, when an oxygen tank blew up 200,000 miles from Earth.

Join Apollo 13‘s Commander, Jim Lovell, and Lunar Module Pilot, Fred Haise, as they talk about their experience on the mission that became classified as a “successful failure” at the Exploration Space 2017 Gala benefitting the Frontiers of Flight Museum on Thursday, May 18 with the VIP reception for sponsors starting at 6:30 p.m.  Visit: http://www.flightmuseum.com/2017-gala/

Dr. and Mrs. (Millie) Kenneth. H. Cooper are at the helm as Honorary Chairs of the Frontiers of Flight Museum Exploration Space 2017 Gala, Dallas’ premier aviation event celebrating accomplishments in aviation and space flight.  The event also supports the Museum’s Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) programs, reaching more than 15,000 students each year.

Radio Talk Show Host Mark Davis will blast off the evening as the 2017 Gala emcee, ensuring that all have a fun-filled experience.

This year’s high-flying event will celebrate the historic Apollo 13 mission and honor its intrepid leader, Capt. Jim Lovell.  Lovell, who piloted or commanded four NASA missions – Gemini 7, Gemini 12, Apollo 8, and Apollo 13 – will become the 43rd recipient of the Museum’s George E. Haddaway Award.

The George E. Haddaway Award is presented by the Frontiers of Flight Museum each year to those who have distinguished themselves by their accomplishments in the realm of flight as pilots, aircrew members, corporate or political leadership, engineering, education, or literature.

Previous recipients include Kenneth Cooper, Walt Cunningham, John Glenn, the Honorable Kay Bailey Hutchison, H. Ross Perot, Jr., Roger Staubach, and Chuck Yeager.

Sponsorship of the 2017 Gala will benefit the Museum’s new Exploration Space Initiative, a multi-faceted expansion of their acclaimed STEM educational programming.

The Exploration Space Initiative was launched October 2016 with the debut of the new digital planetarium, “SPOC” (Space Portal Odyssey Capsule), which offers an immersive and engaging learning experience for onsite and outreach educational programming.

Plans are underway to create new interactive learning stations and displays in an extensively-upgraded Space Flight Gallery which will be anchored by the Apollo 7 Command Module and supported by an educational video series focusing on past, present, and future space exploration.

The Frontiers of Flight Museum is a learning laboratory using aviation and space flight to encourage and promote student excellence in STEM education.  In addition, the Museum has over 30 aircraft from the Wright Flyer to the one-of-a-kind “Flying Pancake,” the Apollo 7 spacecraft, 11 galleries, and over 35,000 historical artifacts on display. The Living History program features the portrayal of prominent personalities in aviation history who present both on-site and in the community. 

Supporters of the Frontiers of Flight Museum’s Exploration Space 2017 Gala include:  

(Exploration Space Presenting Sponsor $50,000)

Mrs. Richard W. Cree

(Apollo 13 $25,000)

Gena & Dan Hamilton

(Gemini 12 $10,000)

Boeing

(Gemini 7 $5,000)

Dr. & Mrs. Kenneth H. Cooper

Dickie+Associates

Cheryl Sutterfield-Jones and Ron Jones

Chris Jones – Purewater Baths

David Norton

Shackelford, Bowen, McKinley & Norton, LLP

Southwest Airlines

University of Texas at Dallas Special Collections

UPS

Virgin America

Cindy Weber

Dr. and Mr. James White

The Alinda Hill Wikert Foundation

Air-O Specialists of Texas, Inc.

dgseals.com Inc.

Five sponsorship levels are available. For sponsorship information contact:  Zahra Perez at (214) 699-4621; email perez@flightmuseum.com;  or visit http://www.flightmuseum.com/shop/2017-gala-sponsorship/.  Individual patron tickets are $250 and, based on availability, may be purchased after May 1. For more information visit: http://www.flightmuseum.com/2017-gala/.  

It is year three of the Frontiers of Flight Museum’s Spring Break Camp “Step Up To STEM” for Young Women’s STEM Leadership Initiative.

Middle school girls from Irma Lerma Rangel Young Women’s Leadership School and Grand Prairie’s Young Women’s Leadership Academy at Arnold will participate in the Museum’s annual ‘All Girls’ STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) camp. Campers will participate in hands-on learning, collaborative projects and team building exercises through activities that include building and programming a robot, building and launching a rocket, flying drones, traveling through the Solar System in SPOC (our portable planetarium) and participating in an engineering challenge.

In addition to STEM, the Museum incorporates business management into the camp, which includes marketing, finance, customer service, operations and strategy to create a futuristic ‘Spaceline” business. This year a career luncheon and panel discussion with women in business and academia is being added to the program.

On Wednesday, a luncheon for the girls will include one-on-one interaction with women from different backgrounds who are STEM professionals as well as college students studying STEM fields. On Friday, a panel of businesswomen will speak with the girls about their personal experiences and empowerment to succeed. The panel includes the celebrity chef from Ellements Cuisine and Pastry Concepts, and a doctor from the VA Hospital.

The week of learning culminates in a ‘Shark Tank’ style competition, as the girls will pitch their business plan to potential investors to create their futuristic ‘Spaceline’ business. Judges include an IT professional and others.

“The objective of the Spring Break STEM camp is to cultivate an interest in STEM while showing the power of collaboration and team building through informal learning opportunities”, says Dr. Jason Treadway, Director of Education at the Museum.

The luncheon is Wednesday, March 15 from 12-1 pm

The women’s panel is Friday, March 17 from 9-11 am

The Shark Tank competition is Friday, March 17 from 2-3 pm

The Frontiers of Flight Museum’s Young Women’s STEM Leadership Initiative (YWSLI) is a collaborative effort between Dallas ISD’s Irma Rangel Young Women’s Leadership School and Grand Prairie ISD’s Young Women’s Leadership Academy at Arnold.  Both are public all-girl’s schools in the D/FW area that emphasize leadership, as well as STEM education.

The YWSLI provides under resourced young women in middle through high school informal educational opportunities to stimulate interest in STEM studies leading to careers in STEM fields. The initiative broadens students’ awareness of STEM through the introduction to aviation and space content while strengthening leadership skills through multiple programming opportunities.  

The Young Women’s STEM Leadership Initiative for the 2016-2017 year is made possible through grants from United Way of Metropolitan Dallas, Gulfstream, Rosewood Foundation, Rockwell Collins, Boeing, ExxonMobil, PPG Industries, Fluor, and the Fannie & Stephen Kahn Foundation. 

Event celebrates STEM education with an array of hands-on activities and interactive demonstrations 

The Frontiers of Flight Museum will kick off its Engineers Week Family Day celebration, presented by ExxonMobil, with a host of fun, hands-on STEM activities on Monday, Feb. 20 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.  The event is free with paid museum admission and free for museum members.

Since school is out for many Dallas-area students in commemoration of the Presidents’ Day holiday, it’s a perfect time to visit the Museum and explore mind-expanding engineering and interactive learning opportunities. Visit: http://www.flightmuseum.com/engineers-day-family-day-2017/.

The Frontiers of Flight Museum joins the National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE) in its efforts to help raise a diverse and well-educated future workforce in STEM related careers.

“Our Engineers Week Family Day is the one of the only events of its kind in our community to celebrate how engineers make a difference in our world and help increase the public dialogue about the need for engineers,” says Cheryl Sutterfield-Jones, Frontiers of Flight Museum CEO.  “Our event also helps bring engineering to life for kids, educators and parents.”

The Museum is part of a national coalition dedicated to raising public awareness of engineers’ positive contributions to our society.  “This special community event makes learning fun while promoting the importance of STEM education,” says Sutterfield-Jones.  “We hope to inspire and motivate students to pursue engineering careers to support a diverse and vigorous engineering workforce for tomorrow.”   

During Engineers Week Family Day guests at the Frontiers of Flight Museum will enjoy a full day of family activities:  

• Get a sneak peek of the upcoming solar eclipse in our portable planetarium SPOC: SPOC (Space Portal Odyssey Capsule) isa portable digital planetarium system which uses innovative nightshade simulation and visualization software for teaching and exploring astronomy, Earth science, and related topics. This 6-meter dome planetarium features a unique fisheye lens and allows guests to have a 360-degree visual experience offering perfect viewing from any position. 
• Robotics experience: Guide a robot around the “red” planet to explore its topography and landing sites of past and current rover missions on the Giant Destination Mars Map. 
• Solar telescope: Visitors can see what’s happening on the surface of the sun.
• Become a planetary scientist: Kids can investigate frozen orbs to learn about objects hidden inside.
• Discover the vastness of our Solar System: Guests will create a take-home pocket-sized scale model of our Solar System.
• STEM Scouts®: Solve an engaging engineering challenge using teamwork, problem solving and critical thinking. 
• Build and battle LEGO robots: LEGO fans will hone building skills using Play-Well TEKnologies

For more information on how you can participate in Engineers Week Family Day at the Frontiers of Flight Museum on Feb. 20 visit:  www.flightmuseum.com.

About the Frontiers of Flight Museum

The Frontiers of Flight Museum is conveniently located just north of downtown on Lemmon Avenue at the southeast side of Dallas Love Field Airport, north of Mockingbird Lane. Housed in a modern 100,000-square-foot facility, the Museum provides a focal point to explore the history and progress of aviation, as mankind continues to pursue going higher, faster and farther. Hours of operation: Monday – Saturday: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and Sunday: 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.  Admission: Adults $10; Seniors (65+) $8; Youths/Students (3-17) $7 and children under 3 are free.  For more information, visit www.flightmuseum.com.

Marty Turco, NHL All-Star Goalie and President, C5 Youth Foundation of Texas, recently joined Capt. Fred Haise (Apollo XIII), and Col. Walt Cunningham (Apollo VII) at the Exploration Space  fundraiser at the Frontiers of Flight Museum.  The event included a special VIP reception and ribbon-cutting for the Museum’s new portable planetarium, Space Portal Odyssey Capsule (SPOC). SPOC is one of the first components of the Museum’s new Exploration Space Initiative. http://www.flightmuseum.com/space-odyssey-capsule/

The new exhibit is a is a portable digital planetarium system which uses innovative nightshade simulation and visualization software for teaching and exploring astronomy, Earth science, and related topics. This 6-meter dome planetarium features a unique fisheye lens and allows guests to have a 360-degree visual experience offering perfect viewing from any position. 

“Since SPOC is so versatile, it’s sure to dazzle our budding astronomers as they are taken on a tour of the Solar System,” says Cheryl Sutterfield-Jones, Frontiers of Flight Museum CEO.  She explains attendees will enter the dome and be introduced to a "star filled" sky. SPOC’s software is extremely powerful and allows guests to visit the moon and planets in our Solar System, or even leave the Milky Way galaxy.

“Our amazing SPOC planetarium is a vibrant addition to our space exploration initiative at the Museum,” says Sutterfield-Jones. “Thanks to this new exhibit, students will learn how to identify every planet in our solar system in dramatic "flights" towards each world. They will also be introduced to Greek mythological characters and see how these heroes of the past can be found in the stars. Visitors of all ages will witness the night sky in different seasons and from different global perspectives.”

The Museum aims to increase students’ understanding of space exploration as part of the new space education initiative. “SPOC is particularly exciting because of its potential to encourage youngsters to consider careers in aerospace,” says Sutterfield-Jones.  “The North Texas community as a whole and the aerospace industry in particular will benefit from more young people pursuing STEM careers and aerospace jobs. The Frontiers of Flight Museum hopes to inspire kids beyond the classroom and encourage them to explore a new world of possibilities.”

The Frontiers of Flight Museum is conveniently located just north of downtown on Lemmon Avenue at the southeast side of Dallas Love Field Airport, north of Mockingbird Lane. Housed in a modern 100,000- square-foot facility, the Museum provides a focal point to explore the history and progress of aviation, as mankind continues to pursue going higher, faster and farther. Hours of operation: Monday – Saturday: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and Sunday: 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Admission: Adults $10; Seniors (65+) $8; Youths/Students (3-17) $7 and children under 3 are free. For more information, visit http://www.flightmuseum.com/.