Ukrainian Online Exhibition In May 2022, the Museum of Science Fiction opened an online digital art exhibition of art in support of Ukraine in
its conflict with Russia. The exhibition featured digital artwork by artist Michał Klimczak which could be downloaded for free as a “take home exhibition,” and an exhibition narrative translated into 18 different languages. The Museum launched a successful Kickstarter campaign in Fall 2024 to fund production of an art book of Klimczak's work, titled 'Landscapes of Dying Worlds.'
Competitions The Museum of Science Fiction has sponsored several educational competitions since its inception, ranging from artistic exhibitions to engineering projects.
Escape Velocity From July 1 through 3, 2016, the Museum of Science Fiction and NASA hosted its first annual
convention called Escape Velocity. Described as a futuristic
world's fair to promote
STEAM education within the context of science fiction using the fun of
comic cons and fascination of science and engineering festivals, the convention featured guests with backgrounds in both science and science fiction such as Rod Roddenberry, Adam Nimoy and Jamie Anderson. A gallery showcasing original replicas of props, models, and costumes from notable works of science fiction offered a preview of the kinds of exhibits which will be on display in the permanent museum. The second annual Escape Velocity was held September 1 through 3, 2017. The theme of the show was
Robotics,
Computers,
AI, and
Drones, and guest speakers included
Thomas Dolby,
Joe Haldeman, and
Cas Anvar. The third Escape Velocity event took place May 25 through 27, 2018. The theme of the show was "Other Worlds", and guest speakers included
Greg Nicotero and award-winning author and Museum board member,
Greg Bear. The Museum of Science Fiction in cooperation with The Arthur C. Clarke Foundation also celebrated the 50th anniversary of
2001: A Space Odyssey. This celebration featured a special program with a film screening, special guests, and never-before-seen prop reproductions - such as the full size EVA pod. Escape Velocity 2019, the fourth iteration hosted the first ever
Cosmic Encounter Galactic Championship Tournament as well as the first public reunion of the original three primary Cosmic Encounter designers
Peter Olotka, Jack Kittredge and Bill Eberle in many years. Special guests included actresses
Dominique Tipper from
the Expanse and
Gigi Edgley from
Farscape. On July 29, 2020, author of
the Martian,
Andy Weir led an online panel discussion on the Artemis Mission as part of the Escape Velocity Extra program series, an online-only alternative experience to the annual Escape Velocity convention which could not be held due to the global
COVID-19 pandemic.
Teacher Development Workshop In May 2016, the Museum of Science Fiction held a Teacher Development Workshop to offer educators new approaches for teaching STEAM courses through the use of science fiction. The workshop was held on Sunday, July 3, 2016 at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center as part of the Museum’s first annual Escape Velocity convention. The convention featured appearances by science fiction legacies
Rod Roddenberry,
Adam Nimoy, and
Jamie Anderson who are active supporters of education.
Future of Travel Exhibit In July 2015, the Museum opened its first public exhibition in the form of the “Future of Travel” gallery. This four-month exhibition in the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport featured a large-scale model of the Orion III spaceplane from
2001: A Space Odyssey, retro-futuristic travel posters designed by artist Steve Thomas, and a digital companion guide via the Museum mobile app.
Mobile App In June 2015, the Museum released a free mobile app for iPhones that featured a science fiction trivia game and guide to the Future of Travel exhibit that it would open the following month.
Film Screenings In 2014, the Museum of Science Fiction partnered with the
District of Columbia Public Library system to host a monthly science fiction movie screening.
Partnerships Beginning in 2014, the Museum started a partnership with the
John Eaton Elementary School (Washington, DC) to bring a range of STEAM programs to local school children using science fiction as an educational tool. The Museum worked with educators to develop enrichment experiences and classroom workshops for students. Planned activities include the art of storytelling, writing, illustration techniques, and numerous project-based learning science activities. Additional notable partnerships which have been reported in the
Washington Post include the
Science Channel and
Awesome Con. In January 2018, the Museum of Science Fiction began a quarterly lecture series in Washington, DC that focused on present day and near future developments in the fields of commercial space travel, artificial intelligence, robotics, and other technology. The first lecture, "AI and Cognitive Computing," took place on February 22 at the offices of
K&L Gates, a co-sponsor of the series. In February 2016, the Museum of Science Fiction co-sponsored a workshop in Los Angeles on the future of human space exploration with the
White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) and the
Science & Entertainment Exchange. “Homesteading in Space — Inspiring the Nation through Science Fiction” brought together stakeholders from academia, government, the commercial space industry, and the entertainment industry to focus on developing a positive, inventive view of future space exploration. In May 2015, the Museum entered into a Space Act Agreement with NASA which helped to support the launch of the first Escape Velocity convention the following year. In addition to the Space Act Agreement, in 2016 the Museum of Science Fiction joined the NASA Heliophysics Education Consortium at the Goddard Space Flight Center and received a $200,000 5-year grant through a NASA Cooperative Agreement. During this time, NASA and the Museum prototyped a VR environment of a 4,000 square-foot museum space that allowed visitors to interact with exhibits and operate a heliophysics science station that offers an unprecedented view of the sun. The solar data provided by NASA satellites ensured that visitors experienced the most realistic and scientifically accurate presentation of the heliosphere and solar weather. "We are always looking for disruptive innovations on better storytelling," said Bryan Stephenson, a VR developer at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center working on the project. "New virtual reality technologies, like the Oculus Rift, will bring about a revolution in education and entertainment that will completely change how we experience digital realms. We are delighted to begin exploring how we may deliver this new content with the Museum of Science Fiction." The VR Museum was later incorporated into NASA's STEM Innovation Lab. In spring of 2015, the Museum partnered with the costume production MFA program at the
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill to create screen-accurate costume replicas for display of iconic costumes from science fiction films. These costumes are displayed at the
Escape Velocity convention and are part of the museum's permanent collection. The graduate students create the replicas under the supervision of the program faculty and with the assistance of undergraduate costume lab students. Examples of costumes created are the spaceflight attendant from
2001: A Space Odyssey, Neo's costume in the first
Matrix film, the Stillsuit from the original
Dune film, a
Borg unit from
Star Trek, and the
Frankenstein creature from classic horror iconography. The Museum of Science Fiction has also hosted a monthly science fiction movie screening in conjunction with the District of Columbia Public Library System. ==References==