A GeoDome Panorama at the Michigan Science Center is part of Urban Skies – Equitable Universe, a NASA-funded out-of-school STEM learning program for urban 7th and 8th graders to learn how to explore the Solar System and navigate the surfaces of the Moon and Mars using OpenSpace. Junior navigators will learn the software and build presentations for the public; senior navigators in the program’s next tier will develop skills and knowledge about mission landing sites – a deeper understanding enabled by the high-resolution datasets in OpenSpace. 

In the GeoDome Panorama, students will present their shows to the public, their families, and their peers. WorldViewer will enable them to record the presentations for playback and distribution. Mi-Sci is working in collaboration with the American Museum of Natural History on the project, which will also create a web-based youth learning interface for OpenSpace. We’ve been development partners on the OpenSpace project for years, and we’re excited to support this opportunity to create resources for the planetarium community as a whole.  

Beyond the Urban Skies project, the GeoDome will be a stand-alone exhibit where museum visitors will engage with NASA JPL’s Eyes platforms and OpenSpace through the GeoDome’s touchscreen user interface. When the exhibit is staffed, docents can switch to a tablet-driven mode for presentations on a wide range of topics. The GeoDome sits in the Space Gallery next to a rocket and an Earth-Sun-Universe exhibit from NIES, adding a digital interactive element to space science learning. 

Mi-Sci chose our 4.5m GeoDome Panorama, with a 165° sweep that invites visitors from across the gallery. A touchscreen kiosk in front of the screen integrates an OmniFocus projection system with 4K resolution at 8,000 lumens.

This project is supported by NASA cooperative agreement award #80NSSC23M0079, under the Teams Engaging Affiliated Museums and Informal Institutions (TEAM II) activity of NASA’s Next Gen STEM Project. Explore TEAM II Products.