photo courtesy Science Downtown
Since the dawn of mankind, humans have looked at the heavens with wonderment, perhaps even with fearful awe. Ancient Homo sapiens likely stared at the bejeweled night sky and probably thought the same things we do today, “Why am I here? Who created all of this?”
While the big “Why” and “Who” questions may never truly be answered by our species, the what, when, where and how are coming to light with “Mars & Beyond: Search for Life on other Planets” at Science Downtown, 300 E. Congress St. at 5th Avenue.
Science Downtown, a non-profit arm of Rialto Arts and Antiquities Downtown (RAAD) is focused on showcasing the world-renowned work of the University of Arizona’s College of Science in the same space where RAAD has housed exhibits since May 2010 (Bodies…The Exhibition, Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition and Tutankhamun: Wonderful Things from the Pharoah’s Tomb).
“This is the first time all of this science has been curated for a world-class exhibit,” said Don Martin, chairman of Science Downtown and co-owner of the historic Rialto Block, with the exception of the Rialto Theatre. In the process of putting the exhibit together, Education Director Shawndon Lex explained that “everything had to be approved by the U of A, so everything is accurate and up-to-date.”
The mind-blowing exhibit features collaborations between several departments in UA’s College of Science, Biosphere 2, Flandrau Science Center and the UA’s Museum of Art.
In the foyer/gift shop, each guest is welcomed with an introductory narrative by Joaquin Ruiz, Dean, UA College of Science. The first room past the box office features Robert T. McCall’s futuristic art, which has been on USPS stamps, on NASA patches and inspired the space station in “2001: A Space Odyssey.” In the middle of the room is an OmniGlobe, a fascinating 3D digital display that features everything from tsunami wave patterns on Earth to the planets of our solar system, along with their moons. One could easily spend a couple hours exploring OmniGlobe’s wide-ranging information, available at the touch of a finger.
Around the corner and on the left side of the next hallway, a wall map shows the distance between the sun and the planets on a scale that centers the sun at 5th Avenue and Congress Street, running east down Broadway Boulevard. On the right side of that hallway are interesting facts about and gorgeous pictures of each of the planets. (photo below of Jupiter's Great Red Spot courtesy NASA/Science Downtown)
At the end is the Pluto contest, a “favorite sayings contest,” Martin said, where attendees can submit their thoughts on the dwarf planet. “They will be posted on the website, and monthly winners get a dinner for four at a downtown restaurant.”
Mars & Beyond also covers meteorites and asteroids, “can’t live with ‘em, can’t live without ‘em,” Martin said; a Biosphere 2 area and, of course, an in-depth Mars exhibit displaying fabulous images along with replicas of the Phoenix Mars Lander and the HiRISE high-resolution camera orbiting the Red Planet.
As remarkable as the exhibit is, it is equally impressive how quickly it all came together. Martin said conceptual talks began six months ago after Fletcher McCusker, CEO of Providence Service Corp., saw the Phoenix Mars Lander replica at UA.
“Fletcher was talking to Joaquin Ruiz (Dean, UA College of Science) and told Ruiz they needed to bring the Lander downtown.” Martin goes on to explain that Ruiz was interested in having a downtown portal for the community to learn about what was happening at the College of Science.
“The UA has been involved on every mission to Mars and has led several,” Martin said. “About four months ago, Ruiz introduced me to Bill Plant at Flandrau (Science Center) and said to look around UA and Biosphere and Flandrau. The UA kicked it around their leadership, and the Friday before King Tut closed (August 29), we met and decided, ‘Let’s do it.’ So, it was 55 days from that decision to the opening on October 22.
“People thought I was out of my mind, ‘The UA can never move that fast,’ they said. And, UA has been very responsive. I’ve been working with over a dozen scientists and they pick up their phones and respond to emails.
“It’s fun and interesting information, easy to absorb,” Martin said. “It’s part of your entertainment downtown. We didn’t need any more bars and restaurants. We need housing and cool stuff like this.”
Hours are Sunday, Monday, Thursday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.; Friday-Saturday, 9 a.m.-6 p.m. During 2nd Saturdays, the exhibit runs until 9 p.m. and features admission discounts. Learn more at ScienceDowntown.org.
