Ingram Planetarium ready to unveil flight-to-space mural

SUNSET BEACH, NC (WWAY) — A special exhibit at the Ingram Planetarium in Sunset Beach tracing the North Carolina connections to airplane flight and space travel will be unveiled Tuesday, July 20.

It’s called “North Carolina, First Flight to First Step,” and it takes visitors on a journey of the timeline between air and space innovation.

Ingram Planetarium manager Kat Hunt says once the exhibit is unveiled, visitors will see how involved North Carolina was in the missions leading up to the Apollo space program.

“In Chapel Hill at Morehead Planetarium, ” she explained, “they actually trained almost all the astronauts up through the Skylab program, in celestial navigation.”

Nearly everything about space exploration is computerized today, but Hunt says historically astronauts had to navigate manually, using the stars.

According to Hunt, the new mural exhibit takes visitors visually and virtually on a journey through history, exposing them to our state’s rich contributions to air and space.

The mural is located in the planetarium’s science hall, a space that’s free of charge where visitors can get out of the summer heat, and perform science experiments or test their skills with engineering projects.

The mural was a collaboration between Hunt and several artists including painters Katie Farrelly and Callie Boyle, who will attend the unveiling event.

The free event is Tuesday, July 20 at 10 a.m. at Ingram Planetarium, 7625 High Market Street in Sunset Beach, NC. There will be refreshments, and a personally-guided tour of the mural, including all of its digital components.