Space Foundation Receives Grant from Boettcher Foundation

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (Jan. 3, 2013) – The Space Foundation has received a $15,000 capital funds grant from Denver-based Boettcher Foundation to be used to continue development of its Visitors Center.

The grant will enable the Space Foundation to begin construction on the next phase of the Visitors Center, which opened to the public in October 2012, and which currently features two main areas — the Northrop Grumman Science Center and the El Pomar Space Gallery.

The centerpiece of the Northrop Grumman Science Center is Science On a Sphere® (SOS), developed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The world’s first dynamic spherical projection system, SOS uses special software, satellite imagery and four projectors to render images onto the global surface that provide dramatic, full-motion views of the Earth, Sun, moons and planets in space.

The El Pomar Space Gallery initial exhibit, Launch to the Moon, focuses on U.S. and Soviet lunar exploration, providing an interesting look at both history and the cultural dynamics of the early “race to the Moon.”

The Launch to the Moon exhibit includes:

• An actual Soviet Lunokhod robotic moon buggy identical to two that were secretly launched during the Cold War and recently re-discovered on the surface of the Moon
• An exhibit about the U.S. Lunar Module (LM) – the first manned vehicle to land on the Moon 
• Scale models of rockets
• Soviet and U.S. space suits
• A display of astronaut food

The Visitors Center is open to the public from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. every Tuesday and Thursday and the first Saturday of each month. The Visitors Center is located at the Space Foundation world headquarters at 4425 Arrowswest Dr., near Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs, Colo. For details about fees and other information, visit www.spacefoundation.org/visit.

About the Space Foundation
The foremost advocate for all sectors of the space industry and an expert in all aspects of space, the Space Foundation is a global, nonprofit leader in space awareness activities, educational programs that bring space into the classroom and major industry events, including the National Space Symposium, all in support of its mission “to advance space-related endeavors to inspire, enable and propel humanity.” The Space Foundation publishes The Space Report: The Authoritative Guide to Global Space Activity and provides three indexes that track daily U.S. stock market performance of the space industry. Through its Space Certification™ and Space Technology Hall of Fame® programs, the Space Foundation recognizes space-based technologies and innovations that have been adapted to improve life on Earth. The Space Foundation was founded in 1983 and is based in Colorado Springs, Colo. Its world headquarters features a public Visitors Center with two main areas – the El Pomar Space Gallery and the Northrop Grumman Science Center featuring Science On a Sphere®. The Space Foundation also conducts research and analysis and government affairs activities from its Washington, D.C., office and has a field office in Houston, Texas. For more information, visit www.SpaceFoundation.org. Follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter, and read about the latest space news and Space Foundation activities in Space Watch.

History and Mission of Boettcher Foundation
The Boettcher Foundation was created in 1937 by two of Colorado’s pioneering businessmen, Claude K. Boettcher and his father, Charles. It was a dream of Claude’s to use his wealth to give back to his native state and its people. The two men focused the Foundation’s giving on grants distributed exclusively within the state to benefit Colorado citizens and its important institutions. Today, the Boettcher Foundation continues to invest in Colorado “minds and mortar” through its Scholarship Program for Colorado high school seniors and by helping build community infrastructure through capital grants to outstanding nonprofits.

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