An earmark was included in the Massachusetts state budget to aid the Springfield Museums with a new exhibit.
A $100,000 grant through the state budget will help fund the construction of an International Space Station exhibit – part of a multi-year, multi-million dollar effort to upgrade the entire Springfield Science Museum.
“This support is critical for the on-going work that we are doing on the evolution campaign in the Science Museum,” said Kay Simpson, President and CEO of the Springfield Museums.
The funds were announced by Springfield’s two State Senators, Democrats Eric Lesser and Adam Gomez.
Lesser said the new science exhibit is being planned just as there is new interest in space travel.
“You don’t have to be Jeff Bezos or Elan Musk, we can train astronauts to go up to space starting at a very young age if you get excited about the science, and the math and all the technology involved,” said Lesser.
He called the Springfield Museums “a treasure for the region” and noted its importance as a tourist attraction.
“And it creates immense spin-off in terms of room reservations at nearby hotels, meals at nearby restaurants, and all the other money that comes along with bringing visitors to this facility,” Lesser said.
Gomez recalled that he visited the museums as a child and now takes his own children there.
“These are things that we want to make sure stay in place for generations to come,” Gomez said.
The new exhibit will be a facsimile of the International Space Station module Destiny, explained Science Museum Director Mike Kerr.
“We want to replicate some of the excitement of space exploration and scientific discovery,” Kerr said.
Plans for the exhibit include a “space cart” of astronaut gear that visitors can touch, a display of NASA artifacts, and a live link with the actual space station.
The space station exhibit is tentatively scheduled to open to the public in the spring of 2022.