It’s the final two weeks for people in our region to see the blockbuster exhibition, Star Wars:® Where Science Meets Imagination.
In this 10,000 square foot exhibit, visitors will encounter the Star Wars universe and see how closely science and fantasy work together, and visitors will investigate the real science behind the fantasy technology.
Visitors will discover hands-on interactives that concentrate on two technology themes: Getting Around (transportation), and Robots and People (how people and robots relate to each other).
The exhibit also includes more than 80 props, models and costumes from the films.
Getting Around
• After examining Luke Skywalker’s original landspeeder from Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, visitors can sit in a hovercraft vehicle and experience what it is like to float on air.
(Note: to ride the air chair, visitors must have closed-toe shoes)
• “Jump to lightspeed” in a replica of the Millennium Falcon cockpit as a multimedia presentation explores what is known about our own galaxy in a breathtaking experience to the edge of the universe.
• Visitors will experiment with magnetic levitation in the MagLev Engineering Design Lab. They can imagine, create and test their own floating MagLev cars as they propel them along a magnetic track.
Robots and People
• Visitors will become robot designers in the Robot Engineering Design Lab. They will select wheels or treads and experiment with sensors and programs the robot uses to navigate through a course.
• Visitors will meet the C-3PO and R2-D2 characters and explore how people related to robots in Star Wars. Real-world robots will be examined and how they navigate, sense and understand the world around them while communicating in very sophisticated ways.
Plus on Saturday, Sept. 1, members of the 501st Legion Star Wars costuming group will be at Exploration Place. Visitors may encounter a Stormtrooper, Darth Vader or Princess Leia as this costumed group makes the exhibit come to life.
Star Wars:® Where Science Meets Imagination, presented by Bose Corporation, was developed by the Museum of Science, Boston, and is made possible through the cooperation of Lucasfilm Ltd. The exhibition is based upon work supported by a grant from the National Science Foundation under Grant No. 0307875. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.
Star Wars:® Where Science Meets Imagination is locally sponsored by Lora and Don Barry, Velma Wallace, Charitable Foundation, Inc. and Cox Communications.
Media and promotional sponsors include: YP Yellow Pages, KWCH Channel 12, Kansas CW and Univision; The Wichita Eagle/Kansas.com; Clear Channel Media + Entertainment: B98 and 102.1 FM; and McDonald’s Restaurants in Wichita. Hotel accommodations provided in part by Hotel at WaterWalk.
Special admission applies for Star Wars:® Where Science Meets Imagination for Members and non-Members.
Exploration Place offers visitors of all ages interactive environments, hands-on experiences, Kansas’ largest domed theater – the Boeing Dome Theater and Planetarium – imaginative spaces, and outdoor recreation, all located on a 20-acre site along the scenic Arkansas River in downtown Wichita, Kan.
