Update: The NASA exhibit will officially open Wednesday, September 6 at 11 a.m. with everything except for the spacesuit. The spacesuit will be added to the exhibit upon its arrival later in the week. The exhibit should be complete by the end of the week.
The NASA exhibit will be available during regular Thistle Cottage hours through September 25. Thistle Cottage is open Mon.-Fri. from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. (closed 12-1 for lunch) as well as for special events. The building may also be available for appointments outside these hours for group visits. Call 270-338-4760 for more information.
Muhlenberg County Public Libraries is over the moon about their upcoming exhibit at Thistle Cottage.
September’s featured exhibit at Thistle Cottage will include a space exploration-related exhibit provided by NASA, as well as a meteorite display from Greenville’s House of Onyx.
The exhibit will include items from NASA Langley’s artifact collection, including a replica Apollo-era spacesuit, several spacesuit gloves and other astronaut apparel, food and drink containers designed for use in space, a training helmet and a model of the Space Launch System used by NASA.
House of Onyx will provide pieces from their collection that originally came from a meteorite.
According to library director Janet Harris, library staff are looking forward to the exhibit. “We are beyond pleased to be chosen as a recipient of this NASA exhibit!” Harris said. “We hope this will allow families and school groups to visit and see this exhibit without traveling out of town.
“The experience of seeing actual items from NASA is one that will be a lasting one for our families and students who will visit.”
Amie Waltrip, archivist at Muhlenberg County Public Library’s Thistle Cottage and exhibit coordinator, echoed Harris’s sentiments. “I’m so excited, “Waltrip said. “I can’t wait to get this exhibit and be able to share it with everyone.”
Harris added that one goal for the exhibit is to encourage more interest in science-related topics. “We hope that families and educators will take advantage of this exhibit to teach and encourage questions about science and space,” she said.
“Who knows? Someday we may have an astronaut from Muhlenberg County.”
Waltrip noted that this exhibit is only one of several science-related exhibits coming up for Muhlenberg County Public Libraries in the next year. The Central City library will host the Kentucky Science Center’s “Science in Play 2 Go” exhibit, featuring several interactive elements for children, in March, April and May 2018, and Thistle Cottage will host “Explore Space: Our Solar System and Beyond” from the Space Science Institute in June and July 2018.
September’s NASA exhibit is made possible by NASA Langley Research Center’s traveling exhibits program, with additional exhibit support from the House of Onyx. “We are so grateful to NASA and the House of Onyx for allowing us to borrow these items,” Harris and Waltrip agreed.
“Beyond Earth: NASA’s Space Exploration” will be on display at Thistle Cottage throughout the month of September. Opening and closing dates for the exhibit are pending as the library awaits final notification from NASA that the exhibit has been shipped, but the exhibit is expected to open in early September. Dates will be announced as soon as possible.
Follow Muhlenberg County Public Libraries on Facebook for more information and continued updates on this exciting exhibit.
