Education

Star Wars Exhibit Opens At Science Museum

ST. PAUL (WCCO) ― The Star Wars: Where Science Meets Imagination exhibit is a big force at the Science Museum in St. Paul.

More than 55,000 advance tickets have been sold, making it the largest exhibit ever at the museum.

WCCO talked with some folks who said why it's special.

Creators of the exhibit use movie magic to show folks how science applies to everyday things. In Star Wars, Luke Skywalker used a landspeeder to get around the desert planet of Tatooine. The speeder kind of works like a hovercraft. Cameron Norenberg got to try it out.

"It felt like riding in an aircraft shuttle" said the young exhibit-goer.

C-3PO was a popular droid (robot) in the Star Wars Series. It takes a lot to get him to move his arms and legs. Museum goers are getting hands-on experience of what it's like to make a droid move.

"We were just trying to move one leg at a time, but when you're walking on one leg, you have to make sure the other one is balanced, so it's pretty difficult" said Emerald Katz.

You can even built your own droid, as Devon Rink did.

"All you have to do is put the wheels on, then the track, and then you download the program into it, you push go, and then you go to different stations and tell it how to turn and stuff" said Devon Rink.

Darth Vader is more machine than man. In the movie his character is evil, but in the exhibit his mechanical elements are being used to teach folks about prosthetics.

"It was pretty cool. I just like seeing the real costumes and stuff." said Ashley Hobbs.

If the costumes and gadgets don't draw you in, maybe taking a picture with your favorite character will.

The Star Wars Exhibit will run through August 24, 2008 at the Science Museum of Minnesota.

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