The San Diego Space Society works toward creating a spacefaring civilization within our lifetimes by raising awareness and educating the general public to the benefits of space exploration and San Diego's role in it. More about us…
Posted by Brent Bernasconi in News on August 18, 2010
The San Diego Air & Space Museum is looking to bring one of the soon-to-be retired NASA Space Shuttles (Atlantis or Endeavour) to San Diego. In a recent interview with the Voice of San Diego, the Museum’s President, James Kidrick, provided some reasons on why San Diego is great place for a space shuttle:
Kidrick said San Diego has plenty of advantages, including a prime location with more than 30 million people within 150-200 miles and a role as a major player in the history of aviation. Among other things, the Spirit of St. Louis — which Charles Lindbergh flew non-stop across the Atlantic — was built here, and San Diego has been home to a number of aerospace firms. He said the museum’s attendance in the last fiscal year was about 270,000, ranking it among the top five aviation museums in the country.
A space shuttle in San Diego would be a great way to promote the region’s numerous contributions to the aerospace industry and space exploration. Plus, how cool would it be to see one up close without having to take the four/five hour flight back east!
Posted by Chris Radcliff in Events, News on July 26, 2010
Last Friday, during the madness that was Comic-Con, the Space Travelers Emporium hosted a small performance by geek singer/songwriter Marian Call. We set it up at the last minute, to take advantage of having such an amazing (and venue-appropriate) singer in San Diego.
Even without advertising, the event attracted upwards of 40 people. That just about matched the number of seats we can fit in the Emporium, with a tiny space left over for Marian and her guitarist Scott Barkan. Gerry Williams set up excellent lighting for the event (thanks, Gerry!), and extra chairs were provided by the Women’s History Museum.
The audience was a mix of SD Space members (who also helped set up) and Browncoats (active fans of the TV series Firefly). Marian mixed both groups’ passions into her 90-minute set, featuring tunes like “Got To Fly” and “It’s Good To Have Jayne On Your Side”, plus an as-yet-unreleased song about the Moon that I think will be a big hit among the GLXP community.
If you aren’t familiar with Marian’s music, I strongly suggest you become so. Start with thesethreesongs, then get to know the rest on her website.
Bonus: An attendee posted some iPhone video of one of the songs, “I Wish I Were A Real Alaskan Girl”:
Posted by Chris Radcliff in Education, News on July 21, 2010
Our friend Francis French is being honored by the Space Camp Hall of Fame, according to a SDASM press release from today:
The San Diego Air & Space Museum (SDASM) is proud to announce the forthcoming induction of Francis French, the Museum’s Education Director, into the US Space & Rocket Center’s Hall of Fame in Huntsville, Alabama.
The center’s Space Camp Hall of Fame is designed to honor graduates, former employees and supporters who have distinguished themselves in their respective careers.
The grand opening of the Space Travelers Emporium last Saturday was a smashing success. People from both our existing space community and our new South Park community came out in droves to see the new store and Space Activities Lab, and the response was overwhelmingly positive.
Even better, everyone seemed to have their own space stories to share. One common theme was, “I’ve loved space since I was little,” which we always enjoy hearing. We also talked to people who worked on Apollo, or for NASA, or with the military. Teachers, families, and even an Virgin Galactic space agent stopped by.
Of course, it helped that we got amazing media coverage over the last week, both for the grand opening and the screening of “Moon Beat”. (Thanks, Jeff!) A sampling:
Location: Space Travelers Emporium (map) 1947 30th St. San Diego, CA 92102
The San Diego Space Society is proud to announce the Grand Opening of the Space Travelers Emporium. The event coincides with the South Park Walkabout and the screening of the movie Moon Beat (seating is limited, so be sure to RSVP for the movie to confirm yours).
After a month and a half of hard work by many SD Space members, the Space Travelers Emporium will open for business. The Emporium is a storefront that provides both financial support for SD Space and outreach to the community. It’s also designed to be a classroom, project lab, and meeting place for local space enthusiasts.
The storefront will feature a blend of in-stock products (t-shirts, posters, patches), special order items (books, model rockets, electronics, actual space suits), and travel-agency-style ticketing (Zero-G flights, suborbital space flights, astronaut training).
Members and the public are invited to attend. For more information, email info@sdspace.org.
Our friend Francis French is being honored by the Space Camp Hall of Fame, according to a SDASM press release from today:
