PHILADELPHA (KYW Newsradio) — The Franklin Institute is transforming and expanding its space exploration exhibit with the help of a major contribution from aerospace company Boeing. The new exhibit will be highly immersive, covering 7,000 square feet, on two floors of the museum, at a cost of about $8 million.
Boeing is contributing $3 million toward the effort, expected to be completed in time to open in the fall of next year.
“This will be a wonderful futuristic experience about what it would be like to explore space,” said Derrick Pitts, the Franklin Institute’s chief astronomer. Pitts leads the exhibit content advisory board, made up of space enthusiasts and aerospace experts.
“What would it be like to travel in space? What would it be like to encounter some of the really wonderful mysteries of space up-close and in person?
“So, we want to expose people to black holes and give them the opportunity to sort of explore around in there. We also want to expose them to the future of space exploration — that is coming really quickly and will be really exciting to even the youngest visitors to the museum,” Pitts said.
“The exhibit will cover two floors of space and also have a feature that is part of the pendulum staircase. So when we put all of that together, what we end up with is something that Is definitely engaging for people from the point of view experiencing space and also from the point of view of exploring space. And that’s what we hope to do, we want to take people into this next dimension of space exploration.”
Larry Dubinski, president and CEO of the Franklin Institute, says the gift from Boeing is really the lift they needed to take visitors to the stars.
“It’s a big gift. For Boeing to invest $3 million — they understand the importance of that for the region and what it can do for both the young and the old in inspiration and education” Dubinski said.
Museum officials say the exhibit will also expose visitors to job opportunities in the aerospace field.
“This contribution is really going to help us show, as well, kids, what type of jobs are available in companies like Boeing, but in space. Engineers, scientists, physicists, these are the jobs that we have now that are available and these are the jobs that kids can reach for as they go forward,” said Dubinski.
The upgrade is part of the Franklin Institute’s five-year mission to reimagine its core exhibits.
