Mission to Mars Event Tomorrow…Are You Coming?

It’s almost here!

If you haven’t made plans to attend either of our Mission to Mars events on October 11, 2014, you’ll be missing out on an amazing opportunity to learn more about our space program, and all of the work and exploration we’ve been doing on the planet of Mars.

We’ve talked about how beneficial these types of programs are for kids, and to show you, we invite you to bring the entire family out for our Mission to Mars Family Fun Day. This part of our event kicks off at 10:00am this Saturday morning. All kids are invited to come wearing the best costumes, because we’ll be having a costume contest. There are also many other activities for kids to enjoy. They can get their faces painted, they’ll be able to meet a few Martians (and maybe even ask all those burning questions about Mars they’ve been dying to ask), and we’ll also have a scavenger hunt in the museum. This is definitely an event unlike any other, and your kids will have a blast.

They won’t even realize they’re learning!

After you have lunch at Sweet-n-Saucy, here in our Wings Cafe, you’ll want to finish up the fun and head home to prepare for the evening’s Gala (adults only). Joe Cavallaro and his Dixieland Jazz Band will be providing the music for the event, and there will be beer and wine tasting from local vendors. Sweet-n-Saucy has cooked up a delicious meal for the evening, and Shoshanna Cole from Cornell University will be on hand to discuss our last 10 Years on Mars.

This is such an important event for the Wings of Eagles Discovery Center, but it’s also important for the kids in our region. We love being able to provide them with STEM educational programs, and your support will help to keep those programs going.

We hope you’ll join us for an incredible weekend as we do our part to explore Mars and support STEM youth education in the Big Flats, Corning, Elmira and Horseheads area.

To make your reservations for our Gala, please click here. We’ll see you tomorrow!

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Maybe There’s No Life on Mars Right Now…

Everyone loves a good comedian, and Louis C.K. is one of the hottest ones going right now. Yesterday, he went on a Twitter rant about Mars, and there’s actually quite a bit of truth in what he was saying. Actually, that’s what makes comedy funny, right? Still, let’s take a closer look at what he had to say in reference to what we know about the red planet today.

“It really feels like Mars used to be a here that got globally warmed by some very us-y people-things.”

“What was left turned into here and our moon…and later we’ll use our moon to go back.”

While scientists don’t really know very much about Mars prior to 1970, they do know that there’s evidence that Mars once had water. In 1996, NASA geologist David McKay took a closer look at a Martian meteorite that landed on Earth. Along with his researchers, McKay discovered what looked to be fossilized microbes. Could it be a sign that Mars once had some form of life? That debate is ongoing, and right now scientists believe we don’t have enough evidence to support the theory. Still…

NASA’s Curiosity is still roaming the planet of Mars, looking for any tell-tale signs of ancient life on the surface.

What about the “us-y people things” Louis referred to? Could it be possible that life on earth actually originated from Mars? That’s a pretty far-reaching theory, but it’s not one that isn’t in the backs of the minds of certain scientists. In fact, a biochemist by the name of Steven Brenner has stated that an element named molybdenum wasn’t present in its life-constructing form when life first appeared on Earth, billions of years ago. However, it was present on Mars. He said, “It’s only when molybdenum becomes highly oxidized that it is able to influence how early life formed,” he said in a statement at the time. “This form of molybdenum couldn’t have been available on Earth at the time life first began, because 3 billion years ago, the surface of the Earth had very little oxygen, but Mars did.”

Louis C.K.’s rant was worth a chuckle for sure, and he touched on some things that have a real basis in modern-day science. But what’s the truth behind it all?

If you’re curious, you’ll want to join us this Saturday October 11, 2014. We’re going to dive deep into what we know about Mars at our Mission to Mars Gala in the evening. In the morning, we’ll host an event for kids that will include lots of fun events, and spark their curiosity about what our Mars rover is doing on the red planet right now!

Click here to make your reservations for our Gala, and make sure you bring the family out for Mission to Mars in the morning. This is going to be a great weekend at the Wings of Eagles Discovery Center. Make sure you don’t miss out!

 

 

 

3 Reasons to Attend the Mission to Mars Gala Event on October 11, 2014

In case you haven’t heard, the Wings of Eagles Discover Center in Big Flats, NY is hosting a Gala event on October 11, 2014, and we’re so excited about it! The theme of our full day of fun is Mission to Mars, and the evening is sure to spectacular.

Perhaps you’ve been considering attending the Gala, but you’re just not sure. In that case, we thought we’d come up with three good reasons why you should definitely plan to attend.

Reason #1: You deserve a night out without the kids!

Our Family Fun Day is centered on the kids and encouraging them to learn more about Mars and the space program, but the evening Gala is just for you, the grownups! How often do you get a chance to get out for an evening of fun? This is an excellent opportunity to do just that, and you’ll be supporting STEM educational programs for the Wings of Eagles Discover Center as well. Speaking of that…

Reason #2: You’ll participate in an important fundraising event!

The proceeds from ticket sales for our Gala event will go to help fund STEM based youth educational programs right here at the Wings of Eagles. It’s important to preserve our nation’s history, and especially when it comes to space travel and discovery. We want to ignite a passion for adventure and science within our youth, and that’s what our educational programs are all about. Your support is essential in ensuring that they have an opportunity to keep learning and growing in their love for everything that lies beyond our planet.

Reason #3: The meal, provided by Sweet-n-Saucy is sure to be wonderful!

Have you visited the website and taken a peek at the menu Sweet-n-Saucy has in mind for the event? If not, we suggest you do that right now by clicking here. It will be delicious from beginning to end, which is nothing short of what you would expect from Sweet-n-Saucy.

Of course, there are many more reasons you should attend, such as the beer and wine tasting from local vendors and the music, which will be provided by Joe Cavallaro and his Dixieland Jazz Band. We’ll receive some valuable information from Mars Research Scientist, Shoshanna Cole from Cornell University as well.

If you haven’t made your reservations yet, there’s still time! Contact us to get registered, and plan on attending the Mission to Mars Gala on October 11, 2014. You won’t want to miss it!

Top 10 Things You Probably Never Knew About Mars

With our Mission to Mars event quickly approaching, we’ve got Mars and basically everything about space on our minds! We thought it would be fun to share some facts about Mars you probably never knew before. Be sure to let us know your thoughts in the comments!

10. Mars is two-faced – the northern hemisphere and the southern hemisphere of Mars look completely different from each other. In fact, if you saw them in person, you would probably think they were two separate planets!

9. Mars is a cold…desert! – Who says a desert can’t be cold? It snows on Mars, just like it does on Earth. However, the snow vaporizes before it hits the ground because it’s just so chilly.

8. Mars is rusty – You’ve probably seen plenty of pictures of Mars that make it look rusty. That’s because it is! The surface of the planet contains minerals that are rich in iron, and they rust, making the planet have a reddish color.

7. Mars is covered in craters – – Scientists believe that many of the craters that cover Mars were formed when the Universe was still being formed. One crater covers more than 40% of the planet’s face.

6. You have to wear protective gear on the surface of Mars – However, it’s not for the reason you probably think. The low pressure in the atmosphere can actually boil liquid. That means it can make your blood bubble!

5. Mars has water – However it’s not the same water you drink from a glass on a hot day. Ice has even been found at Mars’ north pole.

4. Mars once had rivers and other bodies of water – Mars might be more similar to Earth than we once thought. A look at the planet’s surface reveals evidence of rivers, lakes and other bodies of water.

3. On Mars, it snows…carbon dioxide – It’s easy for you to understand snow on another planet, but what if that snow is made of…carbon dioxide? If you were to see it, you might think it was just fog, but since most of the particles in the atmosphere are carbon dioxide on Mars, what else could the snow be made of?

2. A trip to Mars is a great way to lose weight – – Mars has much less gravitational pull than Earth does. In fact, it’s 37% less. That means you will instantly lose 37% of your body weight. You can jump higher too!

1. No human has ever been to Mars – – We send plenty of machines and robots to Mars to gather data, but no human has ever been there.

Are you interested in going to Mars? We can help you get an idea of what it’s like at our Mission to Mars event on October 10, 2014. Contact us, or click here to make your reservations for our Gala event!