Released
02/27/2019
HUNTSVILLE, Ala. - Intuitive Research and Technology Corporation (INTUITIVE®) and the U.S. Space & Rocket Center will hold a ribbon cutting and media event to officially open the new INTUITIVE Planetarium Thursday, Feb. 28, at 2 p.m. After remarks from Harold Brewer, INTUITIVE Co-founder and Chairman of the Board and Dr. Deborah Barnhart, USSRC CEO and Executive Director, guests and the media will be invited to see a short presentation that showcases the spectacular capabilities of this state-of-the-art addition to the Rocket Center.
The former IMAX™ SpaceDome Theater has been completely renovated for the INTUITIVE Planetarium, which employs the cutting-edge Evans & Sutherland ESX system with Digistar 6 capabilities on a new Spitz NanoSeam dome. The Rocket Center is the only place in the southeast to showcase this advanced “8K” technology.
“This is the finest investment INTUITIVE could have made in our community for space education,” Dr. Deborah Barnhart, CEO and Executive Director of the Rocket Center, said. “Huntsville deserves a world-class planetarium, and you have to travel outside of this region to see anything comparable. This is an investment for decades to come.”
In addition to full-dome planetarium shows, the Rocket Center will offer a mix of in-house programming and live performances created by its astronomy education team as well as space- and science-themed films. After-hours events are also planned, beginning with “Cocktails and Cosmos: The Orion Nebula,” Friday, March 8 at 6:30 p.m.
“Growing up in the Apollo era, I remember witnessing the impossible. The idea of achieving the unimaginable has been a part of INTUITIVE’s culture since the beginning,” said Harold Brewer, Co-Founder and Chairman of Intuitive Research and Technology Corporation. “Our passion to succeed, coupled with advancements in technology, enables us to reach great heights almost every single day – much like those in the Apollo program. Whether it’s using immersive virtual reality to make discoveries in the medical field or collaborating with your team from across the country on new weapons systems designs, there isn’t much we can’t do! We are dedicated to bringing advanced technologies, like the planetarium, to North Alabama in hopes of inspiring the future workforce to think big – and always strive to solve the hard problems.”
Along with its investment in the planetarium, INTUITIVE is the Apollo 50th Golden Anniversary Sponsor for all U.S. Space & Rocket Center anniversary activities.