As part of the "From Earth to the Universe" (FETTU) project, a NASA-funded tactile exhibit for the visually impaired community was launched in July 2009 at the Martin Luther King Library in D.C. The exhibit is part of the global FETTU exhibit, a project of the International Year of Astronomy 2009 sponsored by the International Astronomical Union with support from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and endorsed by the U.S. House of Representatives and the United Nations. In 2009, FETTU is displaying astronomical images in over 250 locations in 65 countries worldwide. In the United States, FETTU is bringing image exhibitions to over 40 locations such as the Hartsfield and O'Hare International Airports, the Benjamin L. Hooks library in Memphis, and the Sunnyvale art festival in California, among others.

There are 5 components to the braille exhibit: 18" x 36" tilted 4-legged stands (about 38" high). The stands have text underneath and then a complete overlay of braille for the captions and key and textures for the images. It's built to Las Vegas safety standards.

Images:

Sun Image Layout Texturized Braille Two-part audio:	Eta Carinae Image Layout Texturized Braille Two-part audio:
Crab Nebula Image Layout Texturized Braille Two-part audio:	Whirlpool Galaxy Image Layout Texturized Braille Two-part audio:	Kinds of Light Image Layout Texturized Braille Two-part audio:

FETTU Visually Impaired Activity Guide

• Activity Guide (.rtf)
• Activity Guide (.pdf)
• Audio files for the 5 panels (.zip)

Additional Resources

• "Touch the Invisible Sky" Braille/tactile book
  This exhibit was adapted from the book Touch the Invisible Sky published by Ozone Publishing Corp. Copies of the book are included with the display.
• Audio Podcasts of Touch the Invisible Sky
• Audio of captions for 50 FETTU images

Instructions and Design of Stands

• Setup Instructions
• Design

Evaluations

• Interview Sheet (.doc)
• Interview Sheet (.pdf)
• Observation File

"This special information opens a wider door to understanding and experiencing what sighted students have been looking at and experiencing all along, which bridges another gap in learning and levels the playing field even more.

It presents an opportunity for students to touch the sky with their fingertips."

-- Annie Maxwell, STARS director commenting on the exhibit at the Center for the Visually Impaired (CVI), Atlanta.

Pictured right: L to R: Chris DePree, Professor of Physics & Astronomy at Agnes Scott College, discusses an exhibit image with Lafayette Wood, former CVI client and member of the CVI Alumni Club. Dr. DePree is a co-investigator on the NASA-funded From the Earth to the Universe project, of which these tactile images area part.

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This material is based upon work supported by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration under proposal 08-EPO08-0068 issued through the Science Mission Directorate.