FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:  Oct. 25, 2013

CONTACT: Jeff Mammenga, Media Coordinator, (605) 773-6000, Jeff.Mammenga@state.sd.us

Museum of South Dakota State Historical Society to Host Smithsonian Sunday Program on Nov. 10

PIERRE, S.D. – The Museum of the South Dakota State Historical Society will host a special webcast of the Smithsonian Institution's National Air & Space Museum program entitled, “50 Years of Solar System Exploration: New Worlds, New Discoveries” at 2 p.m. CDT on Sunday, Nov.10, at the Cultural Heritage Center in Pierre.

The program, in the center’s education room, is hosted by the National Air & Space Museum and features a presentation by James L. Green, who is director of Planetary Science at NASA Headquarters. Green will take visitors on a journey through the decades of planetary exploration, discussing how a wide variety of spacecraft (orbiters, landers, rovers and more) have revealed an amazing diversity of worlds, each with its own story to tell. The program was made possible through the support of NASA with additional support through Aerojet.

“We encourage families to come and learn about these remarkable journeys as James L. Green guides visitors through a fascinating 50-year voyage of discovery,” said Jay Smith, museum director. “Green uses photos, images and various graphics to demonstrate the fantastic information gathered about our universe.”

There is no fee to view the program, but standard admission fees apply for visitors wanting to go into the museum galleries.

The State Historical Society became a Smithsonian Affiliate in January and is the only one in South Dakota.

“50 Years of Solar System Exploration: New Worlds, New Discoveries” was originally broadcast on June 13 at the National Air & Space Museum in conjunction with the Exploring Space Lecture Series in the Lockheed Martin IMAX Theater.  

About Smithsonian Affiliations

Established in 1996, Smithsonian Affiliations is a national outreach program that develops long-term collaborative partnerships with museums, educational and cultural organizations to enrich communities with Smithsonian resources. The long-term goal of Smithsonian Affiliations is to facilitate a two-way relationship among Affiliate organizations and the Smithsonian Institution to increase discovery and inspire lifelong learning in communities across America. More information about the Smithsonian Affiliations program and Affiliate activity is available at https://affiliations.si.edu.

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The South Dakota State Historical Society is a division of the Department of Tourism. The Department of Tourism is comprised of Tourism, the South Dakota Arts Council, and the State Historical Society. The Department is led by Secretary James D. Hagen. The State Historical Society, an Affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution, is headquartered at the South Dakota Cultural Heritage Center in Pierre. The center houses the society’s world-class museum, the archives, and the historic preservation, publishing and administrative/development offices. Call (605) 773-3458 or visit history.sd.gov for more information. The society also has an archaeology office in Rapid City; call (605) 394-1936 for more information.