Moonshot Museum's new lunar rover exhibit takes you into the future
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- A cosmic piece of aerospace history just rolled into Pittsburgh's Moonshot Museum.
An engineering model of the VOLT lunar rover built by Astrobotic in Pittsburgh's North Side is on display temporarily in the museum's exhibit gallery. The impressive robot has already been tested by NASA.
"It is absolutely amazing and it's breathtaking," said Dr. Jimyse L. Brown, executive director of the Moonshot Museum.
"I don't know of anywhere else in the world where you can get that close to spacecraft heading out into the future," said Mike Hennessy, manager of learning and programs at the Moonshot Museum.
Visitors can see the VOLT lunar rover up close. It's a key part of Astrobotic's plan to do something that's never been done before on the moon.
"It is a lunar rover and on top of it is Rosa. And it is a solar array that will unfurl and it'll be able to capture the sun's energy, turn it into power, re-roll up, and drive it anywhere on the moon's surface — to where astronauts are or to give power to resources or other tools that they need to conduct research," Brown said.
"In the future, we're going to see a whole fleet of VOLTs building a LunaGrid, a power grid on the moon for astronauts," Hennessy said.
Guests can also see the Griffin lunar lander being built by experts through the glass. Officials said the lander is expected to lift off as early as next year.
"What I love about Moonshot is that kids can get within just a few inches of that and really imagine themselves growing up and being on the other side of the glass," Hennessy said.
People of all ages can even write a message or draw a patch that will be digitally scanned and sent to the moon on a lunar lander.
The Moonshot Museum takes you about 50 years into the future of moon exploration, giving you a behind-the-scenes look at Pittsburgh's role in space innovation.
Brown said the museum wants to inspire children and focus on career readiness for the 21st-century aerospace industry.
"I would say the sky is the limit, but we're at Moonshot. Maybe the moon is," she said.
"It's all about kids finding their place in space, no matter if they want to be an engineer, an astronaut, a graphic designer, whether they want to be in communications or business development," Brown added.
The Moonshot Museum is piloting a new junior space conference on Monday. Thirty Pittsburgh Public Schools students will learn about space economics, interview a panel of real space industry experts, and the VOLT lunar rover and Griffin lunar lander. Brown said they hope the junior space conference will become an annual event, particularly for youth from underrepresented communities.
"To ensure that we can give kids access, especially those in underrepresented communities, give them access to the aerospace industry, bring them together, get them some hands-on opportunities and some knowledge they wouldn't have been able to get anywhere else," Brown said.
Hennessy hopes kids shoot for the moon after they visit the Moonshot Museum and see the incredible aerospace work happening in the Steel City.
"That they come away knowing that they can do anything, including have a job in the space industry. Whatever their talents or passions might be, there's a place for them in space and that there's a place for them in space right here in Pittsburgh," Hennessy said.
"Just being able to continuously help kids find their place in space is something that is amazing," Brown said.
The VOLT lunar rover prototype will be on display for a limited time. The museum hasn't received word on the timeline.
The Moonshot Museum is open to the public Thursday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Private programming and events can be booked Monday through Wednesday.