Alaska Airlines Aerospace Education Center free grand opening

SEATTLE, April 27, 2015--On May 7, the Museum opens its new, $2.5 million Alaska Airlines Aerospace Education Center. The 5 to 9 p.m. event coincides with the Museum's Space Day celebration and Free First Thursday. The Center will be open every day and staffed with an education professional to provide guidance about not only Museum educational programs, but science, technology, engineering and math opportunities everywhere. The facility's scope and personalized service sets a new standard in worldwide museum educational programs, with attention to both families and students of all ages. Services are free with admission to the Museum.

The Education Center staffers help visiting families get started on any number of on-site fun educational activities around the Museum, including robotics, scavenger hunts and flight simulations. Staff can provide college counseling, and the Center is equipped with visitor computer stations for accessing academic scholarships and career data.

Museum Education Services Specialist Samantha Geltz describes her job at the Center, "I am trying to create an area with as much information about college, scholarship, grant, and internship opportunities as possible. If I had this information before I went to college I would have had a completely different experience."

Space Day
The Museum celebrates Space Day - an internationally recognized educational event - on May 7 from 5 to 9 p.m. during Free First Thursday. Local science and astronomy clubs will be at the Museum to share their telescopes with the public. Viewing opportunities will include solar activity and the night sky. NASA Solar System Ambassador, Dr. Ron Hobbs, will deliver a 7 p.m. presentation about the Hubble Space Telescope.

Museum of Flight Media Releases
Access this and all other Museum of Flight news releases online at:
www.museumofflight.org/press/archives

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Celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2015, the independent, non-profit Museum of Flight is one of the largest air and space museums in the world, serving more than 560,000 visitors annually. The Museum's collection includes more than 160 historically significant airplanes and spacecraft, from the first fighter plane (1914) to today's 787 Dreamliner. Attractions also include the original Boeing Company factory, and the world's only full-scale NASA Space Shuttle Trainer. The Museum's aviation and space library and archives are the largest on the West Coast. More than 150,000 individuals are served annually by the Museum's on-site and outreach educational programs. The Museum of Flight is accredited by the American Association of Museums, and is an Affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution.

The Museum of Flight is located at 9404 E. Marginal Way S., Seattle, Exit 158 off Interstate 5 on Boeing Field halfway between downtown Seattle and Sea-Tac Airport. The Museum is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is $20 for adults, $17 for seniors 65 and older, $17 for active military, $12 for youth 5 to 17, and free for children under 5. Group rates are available. Admission on the first Thursday of the month is free from 5 to 9 p.m. courtesy of Wells Fargo. McCormick & Schmick's Wings Café is on site. For general Museum information, please call 206-764-5720 or visit www.museumofflight.org

Ted Huetter
Public Relations
and Promotions Manager
206.455.5360
Rachel Dreeben
Marketing
and Public Relations Coordinator
206.768.7201