INDIANAPOLIS, April 16, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- As visitors to Earth Day Indiana learn about conserving our home planet, they'll also be able to touch the moon thanks to NASA's Driven to Explore mobile exhibit.

The mobile exhibit's opening visit will kick off a week of Destination Station activities in the Indianapolis area as the agency shares the accomplishments, promise and opportunities for research aboard the International Space Station. The Destination Station exhibit will be anchored at the Indiana State Museum until June 29 while the mobile exhibit travels to different venues throughout the Indianapolis area from April 26 to May 2.

The mobile exhibit will be open to the public at the Indianapolis Museum of Art; Ball State University; WTHR-TV Health and Fitness Expo; Purdue University; and the Indiana State Museum.

The exhibit shows how research aboard the International Space Station benefits people on Earth and honors the legacy of American achievement in space with one of only eight moon rocks in the world that visitors can touch. The nearly 4-billion-year-old lunar sample was returned to Earth by the crew of Apollo 17 in 1972, the last time astronauts landed on the moon.

Earth Day Indiana will host the unique NASA exhibit from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. EDT Sat., April 26.

Dates and locations for the Driven to Explore exhibit are (all times EDT):

-- April 24: Indianapolis Museum of Art, 4000 Michigan Rd., Indianapolis (11 a.m.-7 p.m.)

-- April 25: Ball State University, 2000 W. University Ave., Muncie (10 a.m.-9 p.m.)

-- April 26: Earth Day Indiana (White River State Park), 801 W. Washington St., Indianapolis (11 a.m.-4 p.m.)

-- April 27: WTHR-TV Health and Fitness Expo (Indiana State Fairgrounds, Exposition Hall), 1202 East 38^th St., Indianapolis (10 a.m.-5 p.m.)

-- April 30: Purdue University, 610 Purdue Mall, West Lafayette (10 a.m.-4 p.m.)

-- May 2: Indiana State Museum, 650 S. Washington St., Indianapolis (10 a.m.-5 p.m.)

About NASA's Driven to Explore Exhibit:
NASA's Driven to Explore mobile, multimedia exhibit immerses visitors in the story of NASA, using imagery and audiovisual technology. Driven to Explore has no separate admission charge and is designed for all ages. Touring the exhibit takes about 10 minutes. 

For more about the Driven to Explore exhibit, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/exploration/outreach/exhibit_Driven_to_Explore_Trailer.html

For more about Destination Station, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/destinationstation

For more about the International Space Station, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/station 

About Earth Day Indiana
Earth Day Indiana is a nonprofit corporation managed by a volunteer board of directors and a part-time executive director. The mission of Earth Day Indiana is to host a major festival each April to promote environmental protection, conservation of natural resources and sustainable living.

For Earth Day Indiana:
Summer Keown, 317-670-8386, [email protected]

Megan Sumner
Johnson Space Center, Houston                                    
281-483-5111
[email protected]

SOURCE NASA