Blast off on a voyage to the Red Planet

A new planetarium program now showing at Bays Mountain Park takes you on a journey to the Red Planet – the farthest voyage ever conceived by humans.

Mars: The Ultimate Voyage is now showing as the main planetarium program through August. In May, the show will take place Tuesday through Friday at 4 p.m. and on Saturdays and Sundays at 12 p.m. and 4 p.m. In June-August, it will be shown at 12 p.m. and 4 p.m. daily.

The 35-minute show is followed by a live tour of the night sky using the planetarium’s optical star projector.

Mars: The Ultimate Voyage provides a real look at what it would take to complete the complex mission of traveling to Mars and back. Discover the many challenges astronauts will face – and how creativity, communication and collaboration are essential for deep space exploration.

People from all backgrounds with a variety of skill sets will be required to be part of this mission. The program highlights the NASA research and training necessary to address these critical needs, while also aiming to inspire the next generation of STEM professionals.

Mars: The Ultimate Voyage was produced by both Bell Museum & UNC Morehead Planetarium and Science Center with funding by NASA.

“We are fortunate enough to be the only planetarium outside of the two producing planetaria to present this program at this time,” Thanz said. “We believe children of all ages will thoroughly enjoy it and hopefully be inspired by it.”