LOS ANGELES, Nov. 3, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Obscura partnered with NASA and the National Institute of Aerospace to invite the public to virtually explore the new frontiers of deep space and the expansion of the space program through an immersive educational experience set within a 50-foot geodesic dome. The multi-city tour premiered at the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum in New York City in July, followed by a simultaneous showing at the California Science Museum in Los Angeles and the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, currently underway through November 4th.

Photos and Video: http://www.obscuradigital.com/work/detail/nasa-dome-tour/

The immersive theater experience designed by Obscura features three satellite screens hovering in space in front of rotating planetary backdrops including Earth and Mars. Narrated content tells the story as the next chapter in NASA's Human Space Flight unfolds.

After 30 years of the Space Shuttle Program, the extraordinary new era promises to have a profound impact on life as we know it. The Shuttle enabled the program to conduct space research, fly science observatories, launch satellites, and assemble and complete the International Space Station. Astronauts now live, work, and conduct daily, groundbreaking research aboard the orbiting laboratory. NASA is currently partnering with the U.S. commercial space industry to enable safe, reliable and cost-effective access to low Earth orbit for crew and cargo. The agency is also developing the Orion spacecraft and the Space Launch System (SLS), a crew capsule and heavy-lift rocket to provide an entirely new capability of expanding human exploration beyond low Earth orbit and to enable new missions of exploration in the solar system.

The NASA dome show is traveling to the new exhibit venues for the retired Space Shuttles. The tour launched in New York at the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum, when the Space Shuttle Enterprise went on public display on July 19, 2012 at the new Space Shuttle Pavilion. The show continues at the California Science Center in Los Angeles for the grand opening celebration of the Samuel Oschin Endeavour Display Pavilion, housing the Space Shuttle Endeavor, and 'SpaceFest' taking place October 30 – November 4. On November 2, Obscura brought the NASA dome show to Cape Canaveral, Florida, as the Space Shuttle Atlantis took a journey to its final destination at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex; the new building opens to the public in July 2013.

"Obscura is excited to be a part of this historic journey as NASA's next chapter in human spaceflight evolves," stated Travis Threlkel, Obscura's Chief Creative Officer. "Together, we are encouraging experiential learning with an immersive educational show while honoring the past, present, and future of aeronautics and space exploration."

Obscura, NASA, and NIA aim to engage visitors in a visual odyssey using a fusion of technology, science, and entertainment.

SOURCE Obscura