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The Museum of the Gulf Coast in Port Arthur invites youth of all ages to attend "Out of this World!" a FREE Family Fun Day inspired by Earth from Space, a traveling exhibition featuring 40 satellite images of planet Earth from the Smithsonian National Air & Space Museum. The family friendly event will take place on Saturday, Oct. 2 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and will include a wide range of “earth science” and “space science” activities for young and old including hands-on experiments and crafts, a scavenger hunt, a moon bounce and two exciting presentations:

First, the Discovery Dome Theater from the Houston Museum of Natural Science will feature Earth’s Wild Ride at 30-minute intervals throughout the day. The full-dome theater offers a state-of-the-art, all immersive visual learning experience where viewers can fly through a lunar colony, soar over the lava flow of an erupting volcano, ride a river through a canyon, and visit the dinosaurs as an asteroid hits.

Next, award winning children’s author Elaine Scott will give a presentation at 2 p.m. on two of her most popular science books: When a Planet is Not a Planet: The Story of Pluto, Mars.jpgand Mars and the Search for Life. This veteran nonfiction writer is often praised for making complicated scientific concepts accessible for young readers.

Finally, visitors will have a chance to win a Family membership at the NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston.

Earth from Space will remain on view in the Museum’s Dunn Gallery through Oct. 24. The Smithsonian Community Grant program, funded by MetLife Foundation, is a proud sponsor of these public programs. An educational companion website: http://www.earthfromspace.si.edu contains an online version of the exhibition, as well as additional images and information. It also provides numerous educational resources, including lesson plans, classroom activities, Web site links and available publications.

Earth from Space is organized by the Smithsonian Institution and made possible by Global Imagination. Additional support has been provided by the U.S. Geological Survey and the Smithsonian Women’s Committee. Local support is provided by a grant from the Southeast Texas Arts Council.

The Museum of the Gulf Coast is owned and operated by the Port Arthur Historical Society in partnership with Lamar State College - Port Arthur and the City of Port Arthur. It is located at 700 Procter Street in downtown Port Arthur and is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 1 to 5 p.m. on Sunday. For more information about the Museum please visit http://www.museumofthegulfcoast.org or call 409-982-7000.