Personally, I enjoy “geeking” out at the planetarium and am very excited about the latest film,  Hubble 3D, opening tomorrow March 19!

The remarkable images of outer space on the huge IMAX screen will take your breath away and make you think, ‘What else is out there?’

You can watch the trailer and get ticket information at the Clark Planetarium website.

Astronauts Steven L. Smith, and John M. Grunsfeld, appear as small figures in this wide scene photographed during extravehicular activity (EVA). On this space walk they are replacing gyroscopes, contained in rate sensor units (RSU), inside the Hubble Space Telescope. A wide expanse of waters, partially covered by clouds, provides the backdrop for the photograph. Photo and text from NASA.

Tim Riester discussed why science and education are important in a post last year welcoming home space shuttle Discovery.

Clark Planetarium serves as a gateway to science and exploration. I’ve had the honor recently of helping them revamp their website to enhance the online experience for visitors and to encourage real life visits to Clark.

On Monday, space shuttle Atlantis blasted off from Cape Canaveral, Florida. Right now the shuttle is at the International Space Station with astronauts doing their job to advance human knowledge and add to our experience in outer space.

There is a good chance that a young visitor to Clark will someday become an astronaut. Imagine going for a ride like this:

If sending Americans into space isn’t exciting enough, Utah received its own visitor from space on Tuesday night when a meteor lit up the night sky. Clark has an exhibit of meteorites—these are meteors that made it through the atmosphere and landed on the ground. They are pieces of rock from the earliest days of our solar system and are billions of years older than any earth rock. It’s too soon to say for sure, but there could be freshly landed pieces of outer space somewhere out in the Utah desert right now–possibly at Dugway Proving Grounds, which makes meteorite hunting problematic.

Watch this amazing nine second video of this week’s Utah meteor:

Yes, it’s an exciting week at Clark Planetarium. Visit their new website today and experience the thrill of exploring other worlds. Then plan your visit to Clark in Salt Lake City’s Gateway Mall soon.

RIESTER’s CEO, Tim Riester, wrote about the importance of space exploration and education when the last shuttle landed. If you missed his post, read it here.

Thanks you Clark Planetarium for being such an invaluable asset to Utah.

Alan Perkel, RIESTER

Discovery Pilot Kevin Ford photographed on September 7, 2009 in the Destiny laboratory of the International Space Station while space shuttle Discovery remains docked with the station.

At 5:53 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time this past Friday, space shuttle Discovery returned to Earth. This was Discovery’s 37th mission to space.

The space shuttle serves as a symbol of human achievement, achievement that is made possible through a combination of science and the ability to dream. The space age began in earnest in the 1960s. The ability of our species to travel beyond our home planet came after millennia of the development and advancement of human knowledge. The generation that first took us beyond the boundaries of Earth would not have succeeded without the breakthroughs of the many generations that preceded them.

The American space program is close to my heart and it serves as an example of why RIESTER works so hard for causes like promoting education. Americans are leaders in space exploration because we are leaders in learning and exploring—vital components of a good education.

As we welcome Discovery home let’s rededicate ourselves to the cause of American education. We owe it to the future of the human species to pass on an education system that is second to none.

Who knows what dreams our children will dream, or where they will go?

Discovery crew members pause in front of the Airstream Astrovan that took them to Launch Pad 39A. From left are Mission Specialists Danny Olivas, Nicole Stott, Christer Fuglesang, Jose Hernandez, Patrick Forrester, Pilot Kevin Ford and Commander Rick Sturckow.

How else does the space program help us? For a partial answer read this report which NASA released last week on the scientific research accomplishments of the International Space Station during its first eight years. These accomplishments include advances in fighting food poisoning, discovering new ways to deliver medicine to combat cancer cells, and identifying better materials for future space exploration.

I hope you are as inspired as I am by the crew of space shuttle Discovery upon the successful completion of their mission. Visit the mission’s summary page on the NASA Web site for more information.

RIESTER is passionate about education because a good education creates the possibility of accomplishment. 

Photos from NASA.

America’s space shuttle photographed on August 30, 2009. The shuttle is the result of the aspirations of Americans in the 1960s and 1970s. Our generation has kept alive the dreams of the past generation. What are our dreams for the next generation? This photo was made by the Expedition 20 crew on board the International Space Station as the two spacecraft drew near to each other on Discovery’s third flight day. This view shows almost the entire top portion of Discovery, including Leonardo, the Multi-Purpose Logistics Module, in the cargo bay.