A.I.M. Higher at Chabot Space & Science Center

Asteroid, Inventions and Machines Featured over the Holiday Weekend

OAKLAND, Calif., Feb. 12, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Chabot Space & Science Center announces a packed "A.I.M. Higher" Presidents' Day holiday weekend of activities, including public telescope viewing of the 2012 DA14 asteroid, the I.S.I.S Project Invention Experience!, and Green Machine Design Challenge. 

"A" stands for Asteroid...on Friday, February 15^th, Asteroid 2012 DA14, 188-225 feet across, passes very close to Earth, missing us by about 17,230 miles. To put that in perspective, the moon is 238,900 miles from Earth. However, the asteroid will be seen slowly traveling across the sky as a modest starlit object, best seen through telescopes. Chabot is open 10am-10pm all day Friday, and is hosting an asteroid viewing party that evening with extra telescopes set out on the observatory deck along with scientists and astronomers answering questions and leading viewing activity. Chabot's astronomers will attempt to track DA14 from the Center's own 36-inch reflector telescope, Nellie.

"I" stands for Invention...as Chabot teams up with the I.S.I.S. Project and NASA's Night Rover Centennial Challenge to bring visitors the Invention Experience! on Saturday, February 16^th, 11am-4pm.  The Experience takes young visitors through the steps necessary to create an amazing invention. Participants will start with challenge questions that explore the museum, sketch ideas, make their prototypes and make a pitch to the audience. Prizes, giveaways, a special guest appearance and more.

"M" stands for machines...four new prototype machines for the Bill Nye's Climate Lab Green Machine Design Challenge will be unveiled on Saturday, February 16^th, 1pm-2pm.  These machines were fabricated from the designs created by our visitors and chosen for exhibition out of hundreds of submissions.  The Green Machine Design Challenge encourages visitors of all ages to imagine a healthy, sustainable planet and to design the inventions needed to support that vision. Visitors are invited to contribute their ideas by making drawings of future "green machines": innovative devices that will help us live more sustainably in the future. This round of inventions highlights two Oakland students and two Danville students, and the public will have the opportunity to vote on the next round of design submissions.

According to Chabot CEO Alexander Zwissler, "we're honored to have the I.S.I.S Project and NASA's Night Rover Centennial Challenge join us for this exciting astronomy and engineering weekend."

The Center is open the entire weekend, including the Monday holiday. A.I.M. Higher activities are included with general admission to the Center: adult $15.95, youth (ages 3 - 12) $11.95. Advance tickets encouraged by calling (510) 336-7373 or online at www.chabotspace.org.

About Chabot Space & Science Center
Chabot Space & Science Center is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit interactive science center whose mission is to inspire and educate students of all ages about Planet Earth and the Universe. Located in the Oakland hills, the Center focuses on the earth, life, physical and astronomical sciences, with a 128-year legacy of serving Bay Area communities through exhibits, public programs, school field trips, science camps, teacher training, teen development programs and community outreach; hosts 50,000 students on school field trips and over 115,000 public visitors each year; and offers over 20,000 sq ft of interactive exhibits on a variety of space and science subjects, a world-class planetarium, school classes on over 30 different science topics, hands-on science activities, state-of-the-art classrooms and labs and publicly-available research-level telescopes.

SOURCE Chabot Space & Science Center