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Stardust – Astronomy and Outer Space

In the 17th century, Johannes Kepler was already imagining what it would be like to observe Earth from the Moon.



Meanwhile, the high-tech revolution of recent decades has made the image of our Blue Planet floating in space something we take completely for granted. With more than 800 active geo-orbiting satellites and gigantic telescopes, we observe, monitor, analyze and explore the endless expanses of the universe. They enable us to peer into worlds that are invisible to the naked eye—from the remotest corners of our galaxy all the way to the most minute atomic particles. And what we are ultimately doing thereby is gazing directly into our own origins—after all, most of the atoms and molecules that make up the human body began their existence in the stars.

This exhibition invites visitors to undertake active, hands-on exploration: fine-tune a microscope to get a close-up view of a star, feel what it’s like to be an astronaut, steer a Mars rover, or venture into “Deep Space” to navigate through breathtaking imagery of the known universe and experience the momentous milestones of space travel right up close.
An extensive program of guided tours, workshops, speeches and presentations are accompanying this exhibition.

And the focus on astronomy continues even after the exhibition closes: “80+1 – A Trip around the World” running from August 31 to September 4, 2009 will deal with the subject of exploration in the form of artistic projects, discussions and workshops.

We wish to express our sincere thanks to the following institutions for their cooperation:
Dietmar Hager (Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society), the Austrian Space Forum, the Department of Astronomy of the University of Vienna, SCISS Uniview, the Professional Association of Austrian Visual Artists and the Linz Astronomers’ Society, Teleskop- und Sternwartenzentrum Linz, Abteilung für Unfallchirurgie AKh Linz, Thomas Nordwest, Erich Pröll, Wolfgang Schober

Stardust – Astronomy and Outer Space

Ars Electronica Center: July 8-August 23, 2009
80+1 Base Camp: August 31-September 4, 2009


PROGRAM

Daily in the Ars Electronica Center
Saturday, July 11–Sunday, August 23, 2009


Journey of Adventure to the Stars for Kids Age 6–10
Cosmic dust, spacesuits, lunar exploration and Mars robots... join us on a thrilling expedition into the endless expanses of outer space.
When: 11 AM daily (except Monday)
Groups of 4 or more; the tour lasts 1˝ hours
Please pick up reserved tickets at the box office by 10:30 AM; please inquire about last-minute ticket availability.
Price: entrance ticket + addition for guided tour € 2.50
Mars Expedition
Short presentations by the ÖWD-Austrian Space Forum about the Dignity Mars rover and space suits
When: 11:30 AM & 3:30 PM daily (except Monday); also at 1:30 & 5:30 PM on Thursday, Saturday and Sunday
Location: Ars Electronica Center Lobby
Duration: about 30 minutes

Monday, July 20: “For all mankind...” ...“


An evening dedicated to the 40th anniversary of the first Moon landing on July 20, 1969
7-7:30 PM
Interpreter Ingrid Kurz, Austria's “voice of the Moon landing,” relates how she experienced this event.
Location: 80+1 Base Camp on Hauptplatz
Participation free of charge; no reservations necessary
Location: Ars Electronica Center
Participation free of charge; no reservations necessary
8–9 PM Speech: “For all mankind...”
A fascinating and comprehensive briefing about the Moon landing: historical background (Cold War), forerunner projects, details about the crew members, a rundown on the technology and the dangers this mission entailed
Organizer: ÖWF–Austrian Space Forum
9-9:30 PM Deep Space
Presentation in Deep Space: Flyover of the lunar surface and touchdown on the Moon at 9:17 PM with a reading of texts about lunar exploration
9:30-10 PM Speech: “The Future of Space Exploration”
Presentation of NASA’s Constellation program including a live conference call with Shane Kemper of the Constellation program

Thursday, August 6: “Deep Space Night“


Location: Ars Electronica Center
Cost: Your museum admission ticket entitles you to take part in Deep Space Night; no reservations required
6 PM
Brief tour through the exhibition
7 PM
Speech by Dietmar Hager, F.R.A.S., of Stargazer Observatory
Location: Ars Electronica Center Seminar Room (Level -1)
All events are free of charge; no reservations required
8 PM
Take a trip through the universe in Deep Space
9 PM
Calling all stargazers! Look out into the endless expanses of space at the Observatory (weather and cloud conditions permitting)

Sunday, August 16: “A Journey into Space” Family Day


Organizer : Ars Electronica Center in cooperation with ÖWF–Austrian Space Forum and the Linz Amateur Astronomy Society
11 AM Adventure Journey to the Stars for Kids Age 6–10
Cosmic dust, spacesuits, lunar exploration and Mars robots... join us on a thrilling expedition into the endless expanses of outer space.
Groups of 4 or more; the tour lasts 1˝ hours
Location: Ars Electronica Center
Please pick up reserved tickets at the box office by 10:30 AM; please inquire about last-minute ticket availability.
Price per child including admission: €6.50
11:30 AM Mars Expedition
Short presentations by the ÖWF–Austrian Space Forum about the Dignity Mars rover and space suits
Location: Ars Electronica Center Lobby
No reservations necessary
1-2 PM Austro Mars Expedition
Space flight enthusiasts will get an insiders’ look behind the scenes of Mars exploration and learn interesting details—for instance, crew selection and training methods
Afterwards, ÖWF experts will be available for Q&A.
Location: Seminar Room (-1)
1:30 PM Mars Expedition
Short presentations by the ÖWF–Austrian Space Forum about the Dignity Mars rover and space suits
Location: Ars Electronica Center Lobby
No reservations necessary
3-6 PM Workshops for Young People
Building Water Rockets & Solar Observation (Solarscope, Telescope)
Building Water Rockets:
This workshop blends creativity and curiosity with interest in science, physics, geometry and mathematics. Kids design their own rockets based on their own artistic and aerodynamic concepts and then launch them.
Solar Observation:
The Sun is the ultimate source of light and heat sustaining life on our planet. Sunspots were discovered 400 years ago with the help of the first telescopes. What can we investigate today with the Linz Astronomical Society’s solarscope and telescopes?
Duration: approximately 30-45 minutes
Participation is free of charge; there is a €3 fee to cover materials used in the rocket workshop
Location: AEC Maindeck and Rooftop Terrace on Level 4
In case of rain, there’ll be an indoor program in the museum (regular admission price)
3:30 & 5:30 PM Mars Expedition:
Short presentations by the ÖWD–Austrian Space Forum about the Dignity Mars rover and space suits
Location: Ars Electronica Center Lobby
No reservations necessary

Thursday, August 20 Deep Space Night


Program: see Thursday, August 6
7 PM Keynote speech by Dr. Thomas Posch of the University of Vienna’s Department of Astronomy

Sunday, August 23: Last day of exhibits in the Ars Electronica Center



Beginning Monday, August 31: Continuation of the Space Program on Hauptplatz


80+1 – A Journey around the World will be focusing on the subject of exploration with a lineup of artistic projects, discussions and workshops.
Monday, August 31
10 AM Project presentation by undergrads at HLW Steyr
7 PM The Race to the Moon—speech, presentation and open forum
Location: 80+1 Base Camp on Hauptplatz
Participation is free of charge; no reservations required
Tuesday, September 1
10 AM Project presentation by undergrads at HLW Steyr
7 PM Expert round-table and open forum about exploration
Location: 80+1 Base Camp on Hauptplatz
Participation is free of charge; no reservations required
Wednesday, September 2
10 AM Project presentation by undergrads at HLW Steyr
7 PM Presentation of art projects about exploration
Location: 80+1 Base Camp on Hauptplatz
Participation is free of charge; no reservations required
Friday, September 4
10 AM ÖWF–Austrian Space Forum Workshop (for young people)
Location: 80+1 Base Camp on Hauptplatz
Participation is free of charge; please pre-register via e-mail to info@80plus1.org

Thursday, September 3: Starlight – Starry, Starry Night!


10 AM ÖWF–Austrian Space Forum Workshop (for young people)
Location: 80+1 Base Camp on Hauptplatz
Participation is free of charge; please pre-register via e-mail to info@80plus1.org
10 AM, Painting constellations
12 Noon, Global Window LIVE with the ISS
6 PM, Open-air chat about the future with Franz Viehböck
8 PM, Stellar Music
10 PM, Starry Night: Darkness descends on Linz and we see the stars from Hauptplatz! Astronomers let us gaze through their telescopes to see the heavenly bodies
Location: 80+1 Base Camp on Hauptplatz Linz
Participation is free of charge; no reservations required

THE ARS ELECTRONICA ARCHIVE

Ars Electronica possesses one of the world’s most extensive archives of digital media art from throughout the last 25 years. It consists of the Catalog Archive and material documenting the Ars Electronica Festival (from 1979), the Archive of the Prix Ars Electronica (from 1987), material on Ars Electronica projects as well as biographies of the artists and theoreticians who took part in them.
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