'Great Balls of Fire' Exhibit Opens 10/1 at Museum of Discovery & Science

What are asteroids, comets, and meteorites and where do they come from? The Space Science Institute's National Center for Interactive Learning, with funding from the National Science Foundation and NASA, has developed a national traveling exhibition called Great Balls of Fire: Comets, Asteroids, and Meteors, that will open on October 1, 2015 at the Museum of Discovery and Science.

Great Balls of Fire explores the mysteries of these celestial objects. The threat of a catastrophic impact from an asteroid or comet is a staple of popular culture. If there was a dinosaur killer in Earth's past, is there a human killer in our future? What are the chances and how do we assess the risks? These and many other questions are answered in Great Balls of Fire.

The exhibition is divided into four areas: Origins, Asteroids, Comets, and Impacts. Designed by Jeff Kennedy Associates, this exhibit will include a variety of interactive, multimedia experiences, ranging from straightforward computer-based activities to a larger scale, "pod" where visitors play the role of "explorers-in-training" - an important theme that threads throughout the exhibit.

This interactive exhibit takes visitors on an astronomical adventure to climb into a "spaceship" and blast off to the asteroid belt and Jupiter on a mission to gather data about asteroids and comets. Navigate through a display of art and artifacts that tell the story of comet observations throughout human history. Learn the size of the average rock in a meteor shower event (it's smaller than you think!). See what would happen if asteroids or comets of various sizes hit your hometown. Guests will also use a variety of tests (magnetism, color, density/relative weight) to detect if a rock is a meteorite (or a meteor-wrong) and determine if clips from Hollywood films are Science Fact or Science Fiction. Explorers can end their expedition by creating their own solar system, including asteroid belts and comets.

Add to your out-of-this-world adventure through the power of IMAX 3D: HUBBLE 3D will enable moviegoers to journey through distant galaxies to explore the grandeur and mysteries of our celestial surroundings, and accompany space-walking astronauts as they attempt some of the most difficult and important tasks in NASA's history. The film, narrated by Leonardo DiCaprio, will offer an inspiring and unique look into the Hubble Space Telescope's legacy and highlight its profound impact on the way we view the universe and ourselves.

SPACE STATION 3D is the story of the greatest engineering feat since landing a man on the moon - the construction of the International Space Station. The global collaborative mission unites 16 nations with a common goal to further human space exploration. Narrated by multi-Academy Award nominee Tom Cruise, SPACE STATION 3D transports audiences 220 miles above Earth to experience life in space. As audiences blast off, they are joined by the astronauts and cosmonauts who directed and filmed their in-orbit assembly of the International Space Station.