It wasn’t that long ago that space travel became a reality, showing us that the horizon line for flight has yet to be reached. Millions of people gathered around their televisions in 1969 to watch the first men walk on the moon. That moment launched a generation of scientific discovery and exploration.
In August 2016, we will be opening our first completely original exhibit entitled FLIGHT. Flight is a completely immersive experience into the world and ecosystem of Flight. At the end of this exhibit, visitors will experience some of the new technology and science behind today’s space exploration.
Flight has a compelling tie to Utah, therefore, creating this exhibit is a perfect fit to the community. With the aerospace industry such a big part of life in Utah—from Hill Air Force base to Boeing and Rockwell Collins, flying through the air is a huge part of the community. We wanted to highlight the Utah contribution to Flight, but more than that, we hope to encourage the next generation of engineers, scientists, pilots and more to keep Utah’s tradition of Flight in the air.
We want the entire state of Utah to participate in and own this exhibit. The Leonardo has created a Generosity page and is asking for donations from the public. The are many different levels of donation starting at just $5.
Flight Donation Level Spotlight: $500 Space Food
Utah is also the home of astronaut Edwin Jacob “Jake” Garn. Born in Richfield, Utah, Garn earned a Bachelor of Science degree in business and finance from the University of Utah in 1955 and served in the United States Navy. Garn asked to fly on the Space Shuttle because he was head of the Senate appropriations subcommittee that dealt with NASA, and had extensive aviation experience. He had previously flown a B-2 Spirit prototype and driven a new Army tank. STS-51-D was launched from and returned to land at the Kennedy Space Center, Florida.
Its primary objective was to deploy two communications satellites, and to perform electrophoresis and echocardiograph operations in space in addition to a number of other experiments. As a payload specialist, Garn’s role on the mission was as a congressional observer and as a subject for medical experiments on space motion sickness. At the conclusion of the mission, Garn had traveled over 2.5 million miles in 108 Earth orbits, logging over 167 hours in space.
For a donation of $500, you will be invited to spend a wonderful evening with Astronaut Jake Garn. Dinner will be provided by The Leonardo’s in house Chef. You’ll listen to some of Jake’s out-of-this world experiences while he traveled through space. You’ll be able to snap of photo with him, ask him questions- all while enjoying a delicious meal. Not to mention, you’ll be able to tour the new Flight exhibit and there will probably be a few other surprises as well.
If you are interested in donating on this level, or finding out more information about The Leonardo’s crowdfunding campaign for FLIGHT, please visit https://igg.me/at/XrKlh0Guues