The library will be CLOSED Sunday, May 25 and Monday, May 26, 2025, in observance of Memorial Day.
Virtually step inside one of the greatest international achievements with a behind-the-scenes guide to space exploration with Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum curator Dr. Jennifer Levasseur.
Revealing a new perspective into the world of space exploration and the daring astronauts who make it possible, Dr. Levasseur will guide you through the Smithsonian’s Behind the Scenes at the Space Station and take you on a once-in-a-lifetime virtual tour of the International Space Station.
You will learn what the astronauts do once they make it to the space station, from experiments to repairs and so much more! Have you ever wondered if plants could grow in outer space? Or how the space station doesn’t break down in outer space? Or how astronauts go to the toilet in microgravity?
Behind the Scenes at the Space Station is a treasure trove of information. Did you know that during a 24-hour period, the space station completes 16 orbits of Earth and the astronauts on board see 16 sunrises and sunsets every day? Or that the International Space Station is so enormous that it was launched in pieces and constructed in orbit?
Brimming with astonishing visuals, step-by-step explanations of everyday space work in action, and job profiles of the adventurous people who make it happen, Dr. Levasseur’s tour Behind the Scenes at the Space Station is the perfect way to spend an hour and experience life in space.
Register now for your all-access pass to a spectacular home in space!
Jennifer Levasseur received her BA in history from the University of Michigan in 1999, an MA in American studies from The George Washington University in 2002, and PhD in history at George Mason University in 2014. Her dissertation, Pictures By Proxy: Images of Exploration and the First Decade of Astronaut Photography at NASA, looks at the cultural significance of astronaut photography. Her book, based on that dissertation, Through Astronaut Eyes: Photographing Early Human Spaceflight, was published by Purdue University Press in 2020. She serves as the responsible curator for the Museum's astronaut cameras, chronographs, Space Shuttle, International Space Station, and contemporary human spaceflight programs.
Prior to her work at the National Air and Space Museum, she worked as a historic interpreter at George Washington's Mount Vernon, and did an internship at the National Portrait Gallery's Department of Photography. There, she cataloged photographs acquired through donation and developed strategies for recording portrait information in the museum's electronic database.
With over 18 years at the Museum, Jennifer has worked on programs including artifact loans, the Museum's annual Mutual Concerns conference, and as a representative for the department on digital and other exhibition projects. Most recently, she curated the exhibit Outside the Spacecraft: 50 Years of Extra-Vehicular Activity and currently serves as exhibition curator for the Moving Beyond Earth exhibition. She is the lead curator for a new exhibition, At Home in Space, set to open in 2025.
Brought to you in partnership with the Library Speakers Consortium. Visit our site to see all events, register and explore recordings of past events.
Westlake Porter Public Library is an independent public library serving the residents of the city of Westlake, western Cuyahoga County and eastern Lorain County. The library is located at 27333 Center Ridge Road in Westlake, Ohio. Anyone who lives, works, owns property, or goes to school in Ohio can register for a free library card.
