COLORADO SPRINGS — Do you or your kids have a special fascination for space and science?
Well, now you can explore our own galaxy, and look through the eyes of a scientist by checking out a high-tech mobile lab that's parked right outside the Garden of the Gods Visitor and Nature Center.
The lab is nicknamed the "science center on wheels," but it's actual name is MESO, which stands for Mobile Earth and Space Observatory.
Dr. Dimitri Klebe, who is the president of the National Space, Science and Technology Institute, explained that for on-site visitors, one will be able to experience the unique MESO vehicle and several exhibits describing the science of astronomy facilitated by scientists and educators.
"These exhibits include telescopes equipped to view the sun during daylight hours and celestial objects during the day, how we learn from light, our place in the Milky Way, colors of the sky and sunset, and stars in the Constellation of Orion," he said.
On-line visitors can explore programming which includes a live MESO tour, Telescopes 101, the Stars of Orion, a solar system exploration hands-on activity, red sky and night, and a tour of the universe using planetarium software program. You can check those out here.
MESO is also out to accomplish a very important goal, which is to make science and technology easily accessible to different communities across Colorado.
"MESO is a mobile STEM (Science Technology Engineering and Math) lab designed to go to schools, libraries, and other public venues," Klebe pointed out. "MESO is accompanied by a wealth of scientific resources and is facilitated by scientist/educators. Our primary mission is to bring these resources to underserved communities throughout the state."
This is MESO's first deployments since last spring.
"We have are fortunate that MESO is essentially an outdoor stem lab so we can better address social distancing issues," Klebe noted. "We have been thinking deeply about how to get back into school and libraries."
You can enjoy MESO at the Garden of the Gods Visitor and Nature Center from 12 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturday. This will be the last day it is parked there.
For more information, you can check out Garden of the Gods' website here: https://www.gardenofgods.com/meso-the-mobile-earth-space-observatory
