Summary: Rockets flew through the air on July 14 as Dr. Dave Lohnes presented his Wiz Bang Science Show.
Less than a week after the nation watched as the shuttle era came to close with the lift off of the final Space Shuttle flight from Cape Canaveral in Florida, rockets of a very different kind flew through the air in Wooster as OARDC scientist Dr. Dave Lohnes presented the most recent edition of his popular Whiz Bang Science Show.
While these rockets may not have the power of the solid rocket boosters that propelled the shuttle into orbit the launches were no less exciting for the over 100 budding young rocket scientists and their families who gathered at the John Streeter Amphitheater at Secrest Arboretum on July 14.
In a nod to the impact space exploration has had on generations of Americans and the historic end to one of NASAs most storied programs, Woosters favorite Whiz Bang scientist gave his audience a taste of the wonders of space flight and the challenges scientists face in dealing with space craft and equipment hundreds, thousands and even millions of miles away from Earth.
A pair of lucky spectators had the opportunity to learn firsthand how difficult it is to control a robot tasked with picking up and retrieving an object.
After watching the robot operators struggle to get the insect shaped robot across a small patch of land and coax the machines robotic hand to grasp the object, Lohnes reminded the audience that when the operators of the Mars Rover were asked to do much the same thing they had to contend with that and much more including the 15 minute delay between the time the operator gave the rover a command and when images of the results beamed back to Earth.
While the robot demonstration fascinated the crowd it was the rockets that stole the show.
Through simple demonstrations using common objects Lohnes brought difficult concepts such as thrust and aerodynamics down to a level even the youngest audience member could relate to.
From releasing a balloon and watching it fly through the air until all its energy/air was released and creating simple rockets made from two liter pop bottles filled with air and water to launching model rockets, Lohnes brought the concepts of flight alive for the audience.
And without even knowing it, the audience members also learned a lot about using the scientific method as Lohnes encouraged the young and young at heart to make predictions before each experiment and share their observations of the results of each experiment when it was over.
To close out his show Lohnes departed from the world of space exploration in favor of something a little closer to home.
Dozens of excited children encircled Woosters favorite Whiz Bang scientist as he carried out the most tasty experiment by adding dry ice to a mixture of chocolate milk, cream and sugar to make ice cream in just over 50 seconds.
Lohnes and his Whiz Bang Science Show return to the John Streeter Garden Amphitheater at Secrest Arboretum on August 11 at 7:00 p.m. with an entirely new show. The show is free and open to the public.
For more information on Dr. Dave Lohnes work visit the Whiz Bang Science Show web site at www.whizbangscience.com.
The Whiz Bang Science Show is just one of dozens of family friendly activities held each year at Secrest Arboretum for those interested in connecting with the wonders of nature.
For more information on the events scheduled at the arboretum visit the Secrest Arboretum web site at www.secrest.osu.edu.
