Museum of Science and Industry

WITNESS THE INNER WORKINGS OF THE GALAXY THROUGH THE POWERFUL EYE OF A TELESCOPE IN MSI’S LATEST OMNIMAX® ADDITION, HUBBLE

Narrator Leonardo DiCaprio brings the final repair mission of the Hubble Space Telescope to life in a large-scale film now playing at the Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago

Chicago (March 19, 2010)—It’s dramatic, it’s emotional, it’s educational and it’s as real as outer space gets!  Travel the depths of the unknown and see outer space from the inside-out through the gaze of the world’s most powerful telescope—currently in orbit—in the Omnimax^® film Hubble. This film is now playing at the Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago’s, five-story, domed theater through Jan. 31, 2011.

The film places viewers in the middle of the May 2009 servicing assignment to complete final repairs and upgrades to the Hubble Space Telescope.  Watch as the astronauts carefully install a number of technologically advanced and sensitive pieces of equipment while floating in space, with no second chances or room for error. Hubble demonstrates the unique legacy and scientific impact of this inventive telescope as it keeps viewers on the edge of their seats.

The images detected by Hubble allow scientists to travel through time—unveiling many of the universe’s secrets.  Hubble has revealed the age of the universe to be about 13 to 14 billion years old, more accurate than the previously estimated age of 10 to 20 billion years old.  The instrument has also played a key role in confirming the occurrence of dark energy, a mysterious force that causes the expansion of the universe to accelerate.

In this film, see what Hubble sees: the birth and death of stars; the minute characteristics of a solar system; distant, unknown galaxies; and the evolution of the perplexing phenomenon known as dark energy.  Watch the astronauts prepare for the mission as they train and test the affects of buoyancy in the renowned Johnson Space Center’s 202-foot long, 40-foot deep swimming pool; witness the rumble of a ground-shaking shuttle launch; and observe glowing, picturesque images of Earth that only spacewalkers see.  

Hubble was first launched into orbit April 24, 1990 aboard Space Shuttle Discovery, 21 years after the project was conceived.  How does Hubble work? Every 97 minutes, Hubble completes one spin around the Earth, moving at the speed of five miles per second.  That’s fast enough to travel across the United States in about 10 minutes.  Hubble is able to harness the power of light and reflection—allowing its lens to literally see through matter and dust that would otherwise block distant images from detection. 

What does light have to do with it?  The larger a telescope’s mirror, the more light it can collect and the better its vision.  Light reflects off the telescope’s main primary mirror, which bounces-off and hits the secondary mirror.  The secondary mirror concentrates the light through a hole in the center of the primary mirror, which is then read by complex scientific instruments and computes the images back to National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). 

Led by Producer and Director, Toni Myers, the making of Hubble reunites the Space Station 3D filmmaking team.  Myers, collaborated with the co-inventor and co-founder of IMAX^®, Graeme Ferguson, early in her career—writing and editing multiple award-winning space films.  During their extensive IMAX® space film-making endeavors, Myers and Ferguson have trained more than 120 astronauts and cosmonauts.  Director of Photography, James Neilhouse, also doubles as the astronaut crew’s trainer. Leonardo DiCaprio is an award-winning actor and three-time Academy Award^® nominee. Hubble is an IMAX^® and Warner Bros. Pictures production, in cooperation with National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

After MSI guests enjoy Hubble, they can experiment with light and learn more about its properties in the Museum’s newest permanent exhibit, Science Storms. Using giant optical prisms and special lenses, investigate how light reflects, diffracts and can transmit information and make first-hand connections as to how natural sunlight enables Hubble to project the mystery of the universe back to Earth. Or, take time to explore other landmarks, artifacts and key moments in space exploration in MSI’s Henry Crown Space Center.

Omnimax^® films are not included in Museum general admission and require an additional timed ticket.  Hubble plays several times daily at MSI through Nov. 4, 2010.  General admission tickets, with the addition of an Omnimax film ticket, are: $23 for adults, $21 for seniors and $16 for kids 3-11.  City of Chicago residents receive a discount as follows: $21 for adults, $19 for seniors and $15 for kids 3-11.  Additional ticket and showtime information is available at msichicago.org.

The Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago (MSI) offers thousands of fun and interactive exhibits and one-of-a-kind, world-class experiences to inspire the inventive genius in everyone. Through its Center for the Advancement of Science Education, MSI also aspires to a larger vision: to inspire and motivate children to achieve their full potential in science, technology, medicine and engineering. Come visit and find your inspiration! MSI is open every day except December 25, and regular hours are 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. The Museum is supported in part through the generosity of the people of Chicago through the Chicago Park District. For more information, find MSI online at msichicago.org or call (773) 684-1414 or (800) GO-TO-MSI outside of the Chicago area.

Press Materials

• Hubble Press Release (PDF)

Images

To save an image, click on the "Download" link to open the full-size version in a new window.
Then right-click on the full-size image and select 'Save Picture As' to save to your hard drive.

Images presented here are for the express use for promoting the Museum of Science and Industry. All images must be properly credited. Images may not be reproduced by third parties without express written permission from the Museum of Science and Industry.