In Chicago this weekend mainly to catch Freeman Dyson’s speech tonight at ISDC 2010, as well as visit relatives in both Chicagoland and up the sparkling west coast of Michigan. Incidentally, I flew into O’Hare Friday from San Diego. While still on the ground in Southern California, the pilot warned that we were taking on an hour’s worth of extra gas in case President Obama landed as we arrived, because we’d have to do circles in the sky. As it turned out, we only had to do them on the ground because he landed before us. I got a glimpse of Air Force One in it’s solo security mode a few runways away from us as we taxied in. But I was on the wrong side of our plane, so I couldn’t get you an image for this post. Sorry.

Mary recommends the view from Adler Planetarium of the spectacular Chicago skyline. Click .

I did happily connect with Mary Cordell Kulberg, whose grandfather is the brother of my grandfather; she took me on a tour of the sensational Adler Planetarium on the shores of Lake Michigan. Not so incidentally, both our grandfathers came to the U.S. from Germany in the 1890s just before the Peary/Panama/T. Roosevelt Maslow Window — perhaps the most ebullient decade in U.S. history. They were smart, because the Maslow Window concept itself was still a century in the future!

The Adler Planetarium offers one of the most beautiful settings in the world as you can see above. Having grown up just a few hours up the Michigan coast, Adler was the first major planetarium I ever saw. It made a lasting impression and is always a special place to me, but it has changed dramatically. For example, it has expanded in all directions to take advantage of the spectacular Lake Michigan and City views, as well as featuring excellent state-of-the-art shows on the cosmos.

Who could resist Whoopi Goldberg offering us a tour of the stars? (Neither Mary nor I could.) Click .

Since 2000, two important events have influenced Adler. One is that Boeing moved their world headquarters to Chicago. Another is that astronaut Jim Lovell became a major donor to the planetarium. Most of the upper level of Adler is now devoted to interactive, futuristic space displays funded largely by Boeing, as well as an inspiring exposition of Lovell’s life.

An impressive statue of Jim Lovell adorns the area to the right of Adler’s main entrance. Click .

Jim Lovell is one of the most famous astronauts in history. Known mostly for Apollo 13, he was also Command Module pilot on Apollo 8 in 1968, humanity’s first voyage to the Moon’s vicinity. On Christmas Eve from lunar orbit the Apollo 8 crew read the first 10 verses of the Book of Genesis on a live television broadcast; at the time, it was the most watched TV program ever. Apollo 8 and 13 gave him the distinction of being one of only 3 humans to go to the Moon twice, and the only one of the three to not land.

Several inspiring exhibits feature Lovell’s life from his childhood through college and his astronaut career, including interesting details about his Earth orbital flight on Gemini XII with future Apollo 11 moonwalker Buzz Aldrin. One of our favorites is an animated robot who is only too happy to demonstrate the hazards (e.g., radiation, meteorites) of being unprotected on the Moon’s surface, while Lovell explains the advantages of a lunar base. The lake-side of the Upper Level is devoted to hands-on exhibits by Boeing designed mostly for kids, although we enjoyed them too.

Whether you’re a parent, a child, or someone interested in the human future in space, Adler is definitely the place to go if you want to learn about why the new international space age — due to arrive by 2015 — will be so exciting.

Hope everyone has a great Memorial Day; those in the service — present and past — deserve our thanks!

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