Press

ALBANY, NY – The New York State Museum, in association with the Smithsonian Institution’s National Air and Space Museum, and Soundprint Productions, will present a series of educational videos and live video conferences, beginning February 19, on the early days of NASA and the role that women and African-American pioneers played in the success of the U.S. space program.

The free “Out of This World” program is designed for students aged 10 to 14, with the goal of engaging, inspiring and educating youth, especially underserved youth, about the pioneers who broke through barriers to make significant contributions to science and engineering.

The first program on February 19 will be held at 11 a.m. in the State Museum’s Huxley Theater and will address the issue of “Race and the Space Race.” The live video conference will originate from the National Air and Space Museum (NASM) and will allow students to talk with the pioneers who shaped American space history. Answering their questions will be NASA pioneers Morgan Watson, the first African-American engineer at NASA, and Julius Montgomery, the second African-American hired at what was then Cape Canaveral.

Watson worked on heat transfer in rocket engines and helped design the heat shield that protected the liquid oxygen fuel from the heat of the escaping gases. Montgomery was involved in building circuits and dealing with missiles and rockets that misfired.

Several artifacts at NASM will be shown via videoconference, including the first ultraviolet camera, designed by African-American scientist George Caruthers; a Sputnik replica and Explorer 1. Participants will also hear President John F. Kennedy’s historic speech directing NASA to land a man on the moon.

The second video conference will be during Women's History Month on Friday, March 5 at 3:30 p.m. It will allow participants the opportunity to talk with women scientists, engineers and astronauts about the role that women played in the space race.

For more information about the program and to hear a history of “Race and the Space Race,” narrated by former astronaut Dr. Mae Jemison, visit http://www.nysm.nysed.gov/programs/ootw.

The New York State Museum is a program of the New York State Education Department’s Office of Cultural Education. Founded in 1836, the Museum has the longest continuously operating state natural history research and collection survey in the U.S. Located on Madison Avenue in Albany, the Museum is open daily from 9:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. except on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day. Further information can be obtained by calling (518) 474-5877 or visiting the museum website at www.nysm.nysed.gov.

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