Blast Off!

Now let’s use our imaginations and pretend that we can take that same trip here in the planetarium. I think we’re just about ready to take off here. First we need to get into the Command Module, where we’ll be spending most of the journey.

VISUAL 5 (movie): CM Insertion
[Astronaut getting into the Command Module]

Are you ready, astronauts? In just a moment, we are all going to count down together:
10, 9, 8……….2, 1, BLAST OFF!

VISUAL 6 (movie): Blast Off
Play footage of Mission Control giving the “go-ahead” for blast off. Then, after a 42 second delay, move the video from its initial position on the horizon towards the zenith over 50 seconds. Movement of the video upwards is meant to roughly match footage of the Saturn V rocket lifting off into space.
Fade off the movie.

Note:  As we travel to the Moon, we will go through a sequence of viewing Earth from space, flying to the Moon, landing on the Moon, and then returning home, through a series of stops. You may use modular sections, in between stops. Continue to play video sequences in-between the stops. 

DIGITAL EFFECT: Lift off Earth
As we lift off, place Earth in planetarium North, so as not to interfere with the video (located near the zenith in the South after the Blast Off sequence). Orbit about Earth along with dome yaw to simulate the view of a capsule “orbiting” around Earth. 

VISUAL 7 (movie): Weightless in Space
Once we’re up in space, some strange things seem to happen. When you’re in space, you float around weightless.

Can you tell which way is up? 

[No — every way is up.]

Now that we’re up in space, most of our rocket has broken off in those stages. So, we’re only left with the Command Module.

Could I get one of the adults to help me out here?

Have adult volunteer collect the Saturn V Rockets while presenter passes out the Command Module models.

The Command Module here kind of looks like a mini-rocket, and that’s what it was. We’ll be riding inside to get to the Moon, and also to get back from the Moon. To actually land on the Moon, we use yet another module called a Lunar Excursion Module.