09/21/12 jb

HAYS, Kan. -- To kick off Space Week, Oct. 1 to 5, Fort Hays State University will host three free community-wide events.

World Space Week was declared by the United National General Assembly in 1999 "to celebrate each year at the international level the contributions of space science and technology to the betterment of the human condition."

A community-wide rocket launch will be held on Saturday, Sept. 29, from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Students and the community are encouraged to bring a rocket to launch at the Ellis County Fairgrounds or come just to watch. In case of high winds or inclement weather, the launch will be canceled.

On Monday, Oct. 1, from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m., Megan Adams, FHSU student planetarium director, will use the new digital planetarium and inflatable dome to provide a short program in the Memorial Union's Black and Gold Room.

All week, Forsyth Library will have an exhibit of NASA posters from the 1970s and 1980s. Tiles from space shuttles, space food and camera mounts used in space shuttle missions will also be on display.

These events are sponsored by the FHSU Science and Mathematics Education Institute (SMEI), the FHSU Department of Geosciences and Forsyth Library.

For more information, contact Mallory Smith, FHSU SMEI project director, at smei@fhsu.edu or 785-628-4168.