When my parents first took me to the Morrison Planetarium in San Francisco as a kid, I fell in love with the stars. Each time we went to the city I begged to return to the theater-in-the-round, lie back on the reclining chair and watch the fake sunset appear as the universe turned dark and the stars came out. There was nothing like it — except for the real night sky, of course.
When Earthmen first flew into outer space, I was there — in front of my TV, watching the historic event. What would it be like to walk on the moon? I could only imagine because back then women didn’t moon-walk.
Plus, I didn’t have the “right stuff” to become an astronaut. My degree was in education, not engineering, science or math. Nor did I have the required pilot hours, scuba diver certificate or Russian vocabulary. As for surviving the dreaded “Vomit Comet” — the weightlessness simulator — I can’t even handle the Dumbo ride at Disneyland.
When my kids came along, I wanted to share my enthusiasm for the skies, so I took them to the same planetarium for inspiration. That night I surprised my young son by meticulously painting the constellations on his bedroom ceiling using glow-in-the-dark paint and charts from the book “The Stars,” by H. A Rey (yes, the same multi-talented author who wrote the popular children’s series “Curious George”). When my son went to bed that night, we switched off the light and watched the ceiling light up like fireworks on the Fourth of July. It was awesome.
Now that I have grandchildren, I felt it was my duty to turn them on to astronomy — and maybe even inspire them to become astronauts. The Morrison Planetarium has gotten a bit pricey, so I checked out the Chabot Space and Science Center for a closer and more reasonably priced place to see stars. Luckily the observatory welcomes visitors for all kinds of experiences, exhibits and virtual space exploration, so we headed over on a rainy day, perfect weather to stay inside while viewing the outdoors.
We were just in time for the first show called “Astronaut,” narrated by Ewan McGregor. The grandkids had no idea what to expect as they entered the unusual theater and rested their heads against the backs of their seats. Moments later the room grew dark, the fake sunset appeared, and we were one with the universe.
Ewan spent the next half hour explaining what it’s really like becoming an astronaut. Unfortunately, by the time he was done, none of us wanted to leave the planet. The virtual video causes viewers to “feel” the sensation of vertigo, just like the “Vomit Comet,” so I closed my eyes for 29 of the 30-minute show. If you send me to the moon, I’m going to need a large barf bag and some Dramamine.
After the show, the grandkids tried on astronaut suits, took command at Mission Control and guided spacecrafts. We stopped at the museum store to buy some tiny meteorites, then hit the road. On the way home I asked them how they enjoyed the experience, but they were sound asleep.
I guess space travel can really be exhausting.
Contact Penny Warner at pennywarnerink@yahoo.com.
