Detroit ― After a year-long renovation, the Michigan Science Center in Detroit's Midtown neighborhood reopened its planetarium Friday evening, showcasing technology upgrades and a new flagship show, "Hyperspace: A Stellar Odyssey."
The revamped planetarium is the main pillar in the center's multi-year, multi-million-dollar "Hyperspace Initiative." It features a seamless, 360-degree screen with 8K resolution and new reclining seats.
“Our team has worked tirelessly over the last year to bring children, families, school groups and space enthusiasts one of the most immersive space experiences we can create on Earth,” said Christian Greer, president and CEO of the Michigan Science Center.
The funding for the planetarium upgrades came from Stellantis Philanthropy, which Greer said donated about $5 million, the U.S. Department of Education and the Ballmer Group.
An additional grant from NASA enabled the center to host Detroit teens who designed their own planets and solar systems through the program "Urban Skies." Some of those creations are part of the flagship show that will run in the planetarium.
The previous planetarium projector system, installed in 2001, was already on its way out when Greer arrived at the Michigan Science Center in 2019, he said.
During the pandemic, the center's staff astronomer and director of theaters and science partnerships, Paulette Epstein, said staff at the center shut the projector system down while the museum was closed and it never turned back on.
Epstein, who writes and produces the programs that run in the planetarium, as well as the center's IMAX theater and engineering theater, said the new system is state-of-the-art, with ten projectors running on 12 computers behind the scenes.
She described the planetarium show as "a field trip, and we end up getting a little lost in space and find our way home," comparing the saga to "Star Trek" meets "Magic School Bus."
During a media preview on Friday, Greer led the show's imagined interstellar voyage in a white captain's outfit. Planets, stars and solar systems flashed by, both recognizable, like the Moon and the Milky Way, and speculative, including a student-inspired version of the far-away Andromeda galaxy.
If the show feels a bit like science fiction, that's the point.
Greer, the CEO, grew up visiting planetariums in his native Chicago and watching television shows like "Star Trek" and "Battlestar Galactica." Both influenced his path to STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) education.
"What makes it a little bit different," said Greer, "is that many planetarium shows deal with the constellations and you see what's in the sky, you see the sun rise and set, you learn the moon and the planets and that sort of thing. But in our case, we really wanted to take you off of the earth and into space."
"We thought that people would have a better understanding of the universe if they could fly through it," he added.
Greer said the show will be interactive, with opportunities for kids in the audience to ask questions and participate in the space travel narrative.
Now that the revamped planetarium is open, the Science Center will run three to four shows each day during the center's operating hours of 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Tuesday through Sunday. The center hopes to add extended hours on some nights for special events, likely after the holiday season.
Beyond the family shows, the Science Center will partner with Wayne State University's astronomy and physics department to allow students to use the planetarium for research. Greer said staff can project recently acquired astronomical data from sources like the James Webb Space Telescope and analyze it on-screen.
But the program Greer was most excited to share was the partnership between the Michigan Science Center and the Detroit Public Schools Community District. Students will travel to the center on a field trip, including a show at the planetarium.
"One of my favorite places to go as a kid was the planetarium," Greer said. "Giving them that experience of going on a field trip makes a huge difference."