{"id":137517,"date":"2026-01-30T11:23:17","date_gmt":"2026-01-30T11:23:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/137517\/"},"modified":"2026-01-30T11:23:17","modified_gmt":"2026-01-30T11:23:17","slug":"orlando-science-center-opens-mission-astronaut-exhibit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/137517\/","title":{"rendered":"Orlando Science Center opens Mission: Astronaut exhibit"},"content":{"rendered":"

So, you want to be an astronaut when you grow up? Or you wanted to be an astronaut when you grew up? \u201cMission: Astronaut,\u201d<\/a> the latest traveling exhibit to land at Orlando Science Center<\/a>, features the many job requirements and duties that come with outer-space assignments.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt talks about the training. It talks about what it takes to be an astronaut, how to train to be one, what they\u2019ll be doing in space,\u201d said Jeff Stanford, vice president of marketing. \u201cSo it breaks it down into very specific areas that you can see.\u201d<\/p>\n

Stations within the exhibit, created by Flying Fish Exhibits<\/a>, explain the future of space exploration, how to pack your capsule, working with robotics and some basics for staying, well, alive like meal prep.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re all about trying to get people excited about STEM and talking about STEM careers and STEM skills. \u2026 An astronaut is like the ultimate STEM professional,\u201d Stanford said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey do critical thinking, they\u2019re problem-solving, they\u2019re creative, they\u2019re collaborative, they communicate,\u201d he said. So this exhibit is \u201ca really colorful way to get people to show people what a STEM career is, what STEM skills are. I mean, astronauts are problem-solving all the time.\u201d<\/p>\n

The centerpiece of the exhibit is a domed structure that symbolizes inflatable option on other worlds, and it houses a colorful hands-on building activity. The other stations are spread around the space on the second level of the science center.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s where visitors will see cultivation explanation, exercise options and a deeper dive into spacesuits, where tasks are achieved with big bulky space gloves.<\/p>\n

\"'Mission:‘Mission: Astronaut’ includes an exploration of spacesuits and a chance to complete tasks while donning the big gloves that are used. (Orlando Science Center)<\/p>\n

Folks might also get a reality check. Sure, it\u2019s all fun and games and serious work up there, but space can mess with your body. Among the hazards: Loss of muscle mass, reduced vision, weakened immune systems, altered heart shape (more round, less oval) and wacked-out circadian rhythms.<\/p>\n

And then, the inner grade-schoolers may tee-hee as the headline of \u201ceverybody poops, even in space.\u201d Tee-hee.<\/p>\n

\u201cSolid waste is packed into a resupply vessel and burns up when it enters Earth\u2019s atmosphere,\u201d reads the explanation.<\/p>\n

It happens. But wait, there\u2019s more.<\/p>\n

\u201cUrine is added to other types of wastewater like sweat and condensation, and is filtered back into the station\u2019s drinking water.\u201d<\/p>\n

Visitors can walk off that tidbit in the related art exhibit on the upper level. \u201cSpace for Art\u201d features multiple artists \u2013 including actual astronauts \u2013 and their works inspired by space exploration. There\u2019s also the Beyond Art Spacesuit on display in the museum lobby. It uses artwork from children that\u2019s quilted together by spacesuit company ILC Dover Astrospace<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Back up in the gallery is \u201cArtful Expressions: A Universe of Possibilities\u201d featuring student artwork by students of Florida Virtual Schoo<\/a>l and Florida Scholars Academy<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The art stays in place through April 4. \u201cMission: Astronaut\u201d exhibits remain through May 3. Both are included with regular science center admission.<\/p>\n

For more information, go to OSC.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n

dbevil@orlandosentinel.com<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"So, you want to be an astronaut when you grow up? Or you wanted to be an astronaut…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":137518,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[558,104,28,114,266,115,1335,139,141,140,554,109,106,1316,107],"class_list":{"0":"post-137517","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-orlando","8":"tag-business","9":"tag-entertainment","10":"tag-florida","11":"tag-latest-headlines","12":"tag-local-news","13":"tag-news","14":"tag-orange-county","15":"tag-orlando","16":"tag-orlando-headlines","17":"tag-orlando-news","18":"tag-science","19":"tag-social","20":"tag-things-to-do","21":"tag-tourism","22":"tag-travel"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/137517","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=137517"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/137517\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/137518"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=137517"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=137517"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=137517"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}