posted 06-20-2007 10:23 PM               

The Cosmosphere is seeking funding to install pumping wells. The water table has risen dramatically and is the cause of the water problem. The water removed will be piped to storm sewers. According to the mailing, contributions can be sent to:

posted 06-20-2007 10:24 PM               

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Originally posted by PowerCat:
They sent along some scanned photos that showed carpets and floors ruined, some to the point that at least 2-3 galleries had to be closed to the public.

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Water table levels cause problems at museum

The Kansas Cosmosphere and Space Center’s Hall of Space Museum is temporarily closed due to rising water levels from the underground water table. Excessive water from the aquifer is seeping through small cracks in the basement floor of the 22-year-old building.

“We have staff working 24 hours a day, but the work being done in the museum to mitigate the water problem does not support having guests down there right now,” said Chris Orwoll, Cosmosphere president and CEO. “We hope to reopen it soon, but for safety reasons, the Hall of Space Museum will remain closed until further notice,”

Though no artifacts are damaged, the carpet is wet in areas throughout the museum. To fix the problem, the Cosmosphere temporarily hired additional maintenance staff to pump water and dry the carpet.

The Carey IMAX® Dome Theater, Justice Planetarium, Dr. Goddard’s Lab, Magic for Muggles and summer camps are still operating.

Because admittance to the museum is part of the All-Day Mission Pass, patrons who purchase the pass can accept a voucher for free museum admittance or receive an extra IMAX movie ticket.

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posted 06-21-2007 11:38 AM               

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Scott Schneeweis

posted 06-21-2007 01:15 PM               

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Each enclosed artifact case in the closed museum is equipped with a sensor tracking the temperature and humidity. Ideally, Orwoll said, the temperature should be about 68 or 70 degrees, with about 40 percent to 50 percent humidity.

As of Thursday morning, the only artifact that staff had to remove because of rising humidity was late astronaut's Walter Schirra's spacesuit, worn on his 1962 Mercury space flight.

It was taken to the collections' vault, which is on the basement level but safe from water.

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posted 06-25-2007 11:25 AM               

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Originally posted by Robert Pearlman:
On June 15, workers drilled 40 feet into the ground to create two relief wells, reports the Associated Press.

According to a note posted to the Cosmosphere's website, the Hall of Space Museum reopened on June 20, after having been closed to the public since June 7.

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I took Miranda to the Kansas Cosmosphere's Future Astronaut Training Program Sunday. She is in Level Two Session Two.

I noticed the pumping wells are still pumping. They are located at the southwest corner of the building. My guess is the hoses attached to the pumps are 4" in diameter and both were running a constant full stream of water out of them.

The Future Astronaut Training Program classrooms and sims are on the second floor above ground. The Hall of Space Museum is below ground level and we did not go down to the Museum. We could look down from the upper floor because the Cosmosphere's LEM extends up from the lower floor through the upper. We could see where some of the carpet had been removed and there was still a wet stain in the "lunar surface" near the LEM.

Needless to say this is an on going problem and the Cosmosphere will put any donations to good use.

Mike Myer
Humboldt, KS

posted 07-19-2007 06:33 PM               

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Originally posted by Dwayne Day:
However, the hoses were still pumping a lot of water out into the street, so they must have had a LOT of water in that subbasement. It's amazing that they didn't lose all their heating and electricity. Makes me wonder what's in the subbasement.

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The water was not in the sub-basement. It was in the underground aquifer. http://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/earthgwaquifer.html In other words the water was in the Earth and rocks around the Cosmosphere and it was seeping in to the underground rooms in the Hall of Space Museum through the walls. The Cosmosphere had wells drilled or dug in to the aquifer to pump the ground water out of the aquifer. That is where the water is coming from.

Mike Myer
Humboldt KS