Astronaut Jones

The topic of space travel ignites a childlike curiosity of the weightless world outside Earth’s atmosphere. Films like Apollo 13 add to this a nail-biting edge with images of sweaty NASA people awaiting an explosive, post-countdown mishap. But after a successful launch and collective sigh of relief, viewers return to Earth and televisions go dark. The Fort Worth Museum of Science and History’s new interactive exhibit, Living in Space, explores extended celestial stays, including how astronauts eat, sleep, work, play and “potty” while onboard the International Space Station. Visitors will likely learn about intergalactic sponge baths, how astronauts drink their own recycled, purified human sweat, about the many varieties of dehydrated foods and ingestible toothpastes, and how sitting on a space toilet–equipped with a locking safety bar and vacuum chute–is kind of like riding the G-Force at Six Flags Over Texas. Living in Space runs through May 10 at the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame at 1720 Gendy St. because of Museum construction. For more information or to purchase exhibition tickets, call 817-22-9300 or float by fortworthmuseum.org.
Mondays-Saturdays, 9:30 a.m.-5 p.m.; Sundays, 11:45 a.m.-5 p.m. Starts: Jan. 28. Continues through May 10, 2009