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Hampton, Virginia, 26 August 2020 — On Monday, August 31st, the Virginia Air & Space Center will begin construction on the new and exciting Space Explorer Gallery and begin renovations on their IMAX Theater. The Virginia Air & Space Center plans to close its doors to the public while the construction takes place.

The nearly $1.5M in updates to the Center will bring dozens of new interactive displays, showcase artifacts in innovative and exciting ways, and bring cutting edge exhibits to Hampton Roads. The whole VASC team has been working on creating content for the Space Explorer Gallery that will engage a wider, multigenerational audience. View previews of the new gallery below. Updates to the IMAX Theater include new seating, projection, screen, flooring, and lighting. These updates will provide visitors with an improved immersive IMAX experience than before.

The Virginia Air & Space Center is expected to reopen mid-November, first to VASC members, then to the general public shortly thereafter. VASC is extending all active memberships for the length of the closure. The team at the Virginia Air & Space Center would like to invite everyone to like them on Facebook and sign up for their email list at VASC.org for regular updates, inside information, and behind-the-scenes photos.

“We are excited about continuing the Virginia Air & Space Center’s transformation; not only a provider in STEM education, but as a leader. We want to thank our stakeholders for their continued commitment and support in our effort to bring the Hampton Roads community the best science, technology, engineering, and mathematics programs and exhibit experiences for the entire family.” — Robert R. Griesmer, Executive Director/CEO

About the Virginia Air & Space Center — Located in Hampton, Virginia, the birthplace of America’s space program, the Virginia Air & Space Center features interactive aviation exhibits spanning 100 years of flight, more than 30 historic aircraft, a hands-on space exploration gallery, unique space flight artifacts, and more! The Center is home to the Apollo 12 Command Module and the Orion PA-1 Test Vehicle.

For more information, questions, or comments, please reach out to Aaron Lovelady at alovelady@vasc.org or (757) 727-0900 ext. 735.

Renderings of the new Space Explorer Gallery (click thumbnails to view larger):