Planet Quest

Produced by the Buhl Planetarium
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
and Sky Skan, Inc.
Nashua, New Hampshire

Detailed Description:

The planetarium is transformed into a spacecraft for traveling across the solar system. Under control of I.R.V.I.N.G., the onboard computer, the audience is carried on a mission to gather new information about the planets.

After reviewing the capabilities of the spacecraft computer and checking the flight path, the journey begins. Even before leaving Earth orbit, the crew scans the Earth and selects one instrument for further exploration – scanning its surface with radar, exploring its cloud patterns with external cameras, or examining aurora bands with electric field instruments.

After leaving Earth orbit, the crew is given an option to explore the moon or to head directly to the first planetary destination, Venus.

At the moon, the crew has the option to review historical tapes of the Apollo missions of the 1970s, to look at a computer simulation of one hypothesis of the moon’s formation, or to establish contact with probes on the surface.

Venus exploration options include examining the clouds from spacecraft cameras, penetrating the clouds with radar, or examining a small area of the surface in detail from a probe on the surface. Then it’s full speed ahead to each of the remaining planets.

Between the Sun and Mars alarms go off as an unexpected comet races ahead of the spacecraft. A probe is launched for detailed examination. Beyond Mars, asteroids are explored close-up as well.

The planets Uranus and Neptune are optional if the fuel supply runs low, but the operator can override the vote if the mission has excess fuel (time). After reaching Pluto, the computer is directed to engage an experimental warp drive to take the crew home.

Note: This program includes brief use of a strobe light