It was a gloomy day in Moraga as the students made their to the bus while dodging puddles of rainwater standing from the night before. They weren’t sure what to expect for the third field trip of the class, and some were quite skeptical of the travel story they were going to get out of a trip to a space and science museum. It sounded more like a middle school report than an engaging story, but they put a smile on their faces and perked up as the professor had the driver take them on the back roads though the Oakland Hills to get to the science center.

The wilderness that surrounded them was densely green. As they wove through the hills it became even more scenic, some found the architecture of the houses particularly interesting. The front of the houses seemed normal with a garage and driveway, but as they looked to the profile of the structure it seemed as if it had grown out of the hillside. The houses protruded out of the cliff-like hill most likely giving the interior one of the best views of the cities and the bay.

This made the journey more interesting, and many began to feel excited as they got near the museum. The Chabot Space and Science Center is a unique museum that has a 125-year history of providing education and resources to the public. It has state of the art technologies, and is located atop the Oakland Hills away from the nighttime glow of the cities. This allows visitors to see the stars in all their glory through the observatory at the science center. There are also a number of exhibits that cover everything from the birth and death of a star to what astronauts eat when they’re aboard a space shuttle.

When the class entered the metal, industrial feeling building it was calm and peaceful. Of course, this calmness was short-lived as a group of elementary aged children followed them into the building. From then on it was chaos, more and more groups of young, energetic students entered the building and the noise echoed sharply off the steel walls.

All the students got to experience two of the movie attractions in the 70-foot Mega Dome theatres that project visually appealing shows. “The Maya Skies” was an animated film about the history and culture of the Mayan people, and how they worship the sun, moon, and stars. Another attraction was called “Solarmax” and featured actual footage of the sun from solar observatories all over the world.  They were engaging movies that made the audience feel like they were flying through the solar system due to the 3D effect of the dome.

After eating a delicious hot lunch from the chef at the Celestial Cafe, each student had some time to explore the museum on his or her own and see what each exhibit had to offer. A particularly intriguing display was called “Blast off: Surviving in Space”. It showed exactly what an astronaut has to go through while exploring in space such as, what type of food they eat, how they stay fit and healthy. It would be awfully difficult to get used to the vacuumed packed meals of mush they eat through a straw. Not too many people would find that appealing.

The students got a lot more out of the trip than most expected, the journey through the Oakland Hills made many of them realize that you don’t have to go far for an adventure and in some cases it can lead you to a place that’s out of this world.

The Chabot Space and Science Center

1000 Skyline Blvd. – Oakland, CA 94619 – (510) 336-7300

Adult: $14.95                        Youth: $10.95                        Members: Free

Wed/Thurs: 10am-5pm                         Fri/Sat: 10am- 10pm            Sun: 11am- 5pm

On the Web: http://www.chabotspace.org/default.asp