By GUY C. DENECHAUD

Aficionados of outer space will be able to take in new exhibits at the Montshire Museum of Science in Norwich, VT, thanks to a grant from the National Aeronautical and Space Administration (NASA).

The five-year grant of more than $492,000 will be used to fund the expansion of the museum’s exhibits and educational programs, which will utilize imagery and information provided by NASA.

The Montshire snagged one of the only 13 grants awarded across the country by NASA, and is the sole grant winner in New England. A large number of museums representing 32 states and the District of Columbia submitted proposals to NASA’s Competitive Program for Science Museums and Planetariums.

The first programs to be made possible under the grant will begin later this year and will evolve during the next five years.

The museum’s grant proposal, “ The Dynamic Earth: You Have to See It to Believe It!” will receive NASA funding. The money will enable the museum to develop educational exhibits and programs using NASA images of Earth to engage visitors in learning about the natural and manmade forces that shape the planet.

The Montshire will use the money and the collaboration with NASA to help educate the public about the critical balance of Earth’s processes that make life possible, according to

Beth Krusi, director of communications and marketing for the museum.

Brian Dade, an associate professor of earth sciences at Dartmouth College and a project advisor, said he believes it’s more important than ever to increase the public’s understanding of these principles and systems in light of mankind’s global impacts on the Earth’s systems.

The museum’s Upper Valley location makes it viable to collaborate with educational and research institutions. It will benefit from working with scientists from Dartmouth College and climate researchers at the U.S Army Corps of Engineers Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory in Hanover, NH.

The museum also will partner with the Chabot Space and Science Center in Oakland, CA to develop two new multimedia presentations using the Science Theater Educational Programming System (STEPS). In addition, museum staff will work with the Goddard Space Flight Center’s Scientific Visualization Studio to use imagery and animations in the exhibits and theater programs developed for this project.

The first programming elements will be introduced to the public in February 2010. At the end of the five-year grant period, the Montshire will have created a comprehensive Earth science program to help audiences better understand the global environment. This initiative will reach school children and hundreds of thousands of museum visitors, resulting in greater awareness of NASA’s contributions to Earth science.

Anniversary Celebration

Special events are planned this fall to celebrate the museum’s history of 35 years in the Upper Valley and 20 years in Norwich. Exhibitions about dinosaurs are scheduled to begin October 1 and run through January 3, 2010. Visitors may sit in a state-of-the-art “Be the Dinosaur” simulator pod to experience the world of a dinosaur.

The second exhibition, “GIANTS African Dinosaurs,” will provide education about the African dinosaurs that existed more than 100 million years ago. “GIANTS” is an interactive experience that will let visitors learn about the discovery of fossils and ancient bones. These will be the first opportunities in New England to visit the “Be the Dinosaur” and “GIANTS” exhibits.

“We are always changing, adding and adapting our exhibits so they will draw in and entertain while educating visitors of all ages,” said Krusi.

Approximately 150,000 visitors came through the museum’s doors in 2008, according to Krusi. A hands-on interactive science center with more than 100 exhibits about nature, technology, astronomy and the physical sciences, the Montshire Museum of Science features visiting exhibitions, educational programs and special events throughout the year.

The Montshire Museum remains a cutting-edge, hands-on museum where visitors of all ages can explore new realms both indoors and out. It’s located on 110 acres near the banks of the Connecticut River; the property also houses the Silvio O. Conte National Fish and Wildlife Refuge.