Kids having a blast at Discovery Center’s Astronaut Academy

Anna Maynard, 3, floats through the International Space Station with her toy pelican, Rufus, after getting a push from her mother, Teri, as they visit the Astronaut Academy exhibit at the City of Ocala Discovery Center in Ocala, Fla. on Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2020. The Astronaut Academy will be on display Oct. 3, 2020 through Jan. 2, 2021 at the Discovery Center. According to a press release from the City of Ocala: Astronaut Academy is a hands-on exhibit with activities that introduce kids to space travel and experiments. Visitors will navigate their way through a space station module, control a remote Mars rover, build and launch their own rockets, view an authentic moon rock (courtesy of NASA) and more. Discovery Center partnered with National Informal STEM Education Network (NISE), NASA, and Lockheed Martin to showcase the ideas, engineering and even the art that goes into the study and exploration of space. The exhibit is open Tuesdays through Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Updated sessions will be posted on the Discovery Center website. General admission to the Discovery Center is $8.00 per person or $28.00 for a family of four. Annual memberships are also available for individuals and families. Star Lab Planetarium shows are held Saturdays at 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. by group reservation only due to COVID-19. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette] 2020.

The Discovery Center’s newest exhibit, Astronaut Academy, opened recently and will remain on display until Jan. 2. Astronaut Academy is a hands-on exhibit with activities that introduce kids to space travel and experiments. According to Discovery Center officials, visitors navigate their way through a space station module, control a remote Mars rover, build and launch their own rockets, view an authentic moon rock – courtesy of NASA – and more.

Discovery Center partnered with National Informal STEM Education Network (NISE), NASA, and Lockheed Martin to showcase the ideas, engineering and even the art that goes into the study and exploration of space.

The exhibit is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays. Updated sessions will be posted on the Discovery Center website. General admission to the Discovery Center is $8 per person or $28 for a family of four. Annual memberships are also available for individuals and families.

Star Lab Planetarium shows are held  at 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. Saturdays by group reservation only due to COVID-19.

Astronaut Academy is sponsored by Ocala Electric Utility, Discovery Center Foundation, Marion Rotary Duck Derby, with special thanks to Lockheed Martin and NASA’s Johnson Space Center.

For more information, call 352-401-3900 or visit www.mydiscoverycenter.org.