For Immediate Release
July 27, 2009
Contact Information

The Health Museum
Gabe Canales
832-867-0111 (Media Relations)
gabe@gabecreatesbuzz.com
Stephanie Manning
713-521-1515 ext. 332
Manager, Marketing & Communications
smanning@thehealthmuseum.org

(BPRW) H-E-B Presents Free Family Thursday at The Health Museum Featuring Dr. Bernard Harris, Jr.

Former NASA Astronaut and First African-American to Complete a Spacewalk Joins Facing Mars Speaker Series Lineup July 30 at 3 p.m.

(BLACK PR WIRE)(July 27, 2009) HOUSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- The John P. McGovern Museum of Health & Medical Science, also known as The Health Museum, announced H-E-B as the sponsor of the Free Family Thursday program. During Free Family Thursday, guests enjoy free admission to the Museum from 2 to 5 p.m., year round. On July 30, Free Family Thursday will feature Bernard Harris, Jr., MD, a former NASA astronaut who will be presenting An Astronauts Perspective: Preparing for America’s Future. Dr. Harris presentation, scheduled for 3 p.m., will take place in the Museum’s McGovern Theater and is open to all museum guests. Museum hours on July 30 will be extended to 7 p.m.?

Dr. Harris is an accomplished NASA astronaut, physician and businessman. In 1990, he was selected as a NASA astronaut and flew his first mission three years later. As a payload commander of STS-63, the first flight of the joint Russian-American space program, Harris accomplished his childhood dream by completing a walk in space and becoming the first African-American to do so. At the time of his retirement from NASA in 1996, he had logged more than 438 hours in space and traveled over 7.2 million miles. He currently serves as president of The Harris Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization he founded in 1998 to develop math/science education and crime prevention programs for America’s youth. Dr. Harris presentation at The Health Museum is part of the Facing Mars Speaker Series.?

The Facing Mars Speaker Series gives the public a chance to meet speakers from national space agencies as they share their experiences with traveling and working in space, as well as the challenges we face in traveling to and working on Mars. The Speaker Series presentations require no additional charge and are open to all museum guests. For more information about additional speakers, including dates and times, visit www.thehealthmuseum.org.?

The speaker series is presented in conjunction with the Facing Mars exhibit, making its U.S. premiere at The Health Museum now through September 7. Visitors participate in interactive stations that include walking on Mars, testing and launching rockets, flying over the Martian landscape and considering the implications humans face in their quest to reach the Red Planet. Facing Mars was developed by the Ontario Science Center and is sponsored locally by Southwest Airlines.?

ABOUT THE HEALTH MUSEUM
The John P. McGovern Museum of Health & Medical Science, also known as The Health Museum, is a member institution of the world-renowned Texas Medical Center and is located in the heart of Houston’s Museum District at 1515 Hermann Drive Houston, TX 77004. Recent additions to the museum include You: The Exhibit, a highly interactive look at the physical, psychological and future you, and the McGovern 4D Theater, Houston’s only 4D theater, where 3D films and environmental effects like wind, rain, fog and lightning combine to create a memorable experience. See the world premiere of the Museum’s newest 3D film, Planet You, August 7 and take an up-close look at the alien landscape of your own skin!
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Summer hours for the museum are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Saturday, and noon to 5 p.m. on Sunday. General Admission is $8 for adults and $6 for children ages 3-12 and senior adults. Museum members and children two years of age and under are admitted free. Group discount rates and school field trip information are available by calling 713-521-1515, ext. 121. For information about the Museum or its programs, please call 713-521-1515 or visit www.thehealthmuseum.org.
The John P. McGovern Museum of Health and Medical Science is an interactive and entertaining science experience for all ages that promotes understanding and appreciation of the human body, mind and spirit and inspires a lifelong commitment to health and wellness.