PITTSBURGH —The Readiness Institute (RI) at Penn State, a service of Penn State Outreach, and Astrobotic are ready to blast off on a journey to send thousands of messages of hope from around the world to the Moon as the Hope Moonshot, a three-year project designed to inspire the global community to dream big, is set to launch. To celebrate, the RI at Penn State will be hosting Penn State Day from 11 a.m. – 4 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 19, at Moonshot Museum.
“Since 2020 and in collaboration with Global Moonshots in Education, we’ve collected thousands of hopes from students, educators, and members of the global community through the Hope Moonshot project,” said Justin Aglio, associate vice president for Penn State Outreach and executive director of the RI at Penn State. “Those messages will now be sent to the Moon in December onboard Astrobotic’s Peregrine Mission 1. We are excited to celebrate the mission which created an experience where anyone can be a part of the space industry.”
During Penn State Day at Moonshot Museum, adults will be offered a discounted rate for admission and children under 17 will receive free admission. All visitors can send their own hopes to the Moon, see lunar spacecraft being built, engage with interactive exhibits for all ages from engineering a lunar rover to designing a mission patch and debating space policy. The event offers a chance to learn more about the wide varieties of careers in space, a rapidly growing industry in Pennsylvania.
“Penn State Outreach has been an invaluable supporter of Moonshot Museum’s mission to engage a diverse generation in the future of space. Our shared aim of expanding access and opportunity for Pennsylvania students is creating an impact that will resonate into the cosmos,” said Cathleen Richards, interim executive director for Moonshot Museum. “We are thrilled to invite the Penn State community to find your place in space on November 19 at Moonshot Museum.”
The Peregrine Mission 1 launch date is scheduled for December 24, 2023, from Cape Canaveral, Florida.
Moonshot Museum is Pennsylvania’s first space museum and the only museum in the world to focus on career and community readiness for the 21st century space industry. Operated by the Astrobotic Foundation, a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit organization, Moonshot Museum is co-located at the headquarters of space robotics company Astrobotic.
The RI at Penn State, a service of Penn State Outreach, enables education, industry, and community partners to coordinate, collaborate, and create experiences for learners to achieve community and future readiness—regardless of their zip code, race, ethnicity, gender, sexual identity, and ability level.