Space gallery takes off

A Kansas museum devoted to spacecraft and space artifacts was to open a 4,000-square-foot gallery Saturday focusing on the early days of space exploration.

The new gallery, at the Kansas Cosmosphere and Space Center in Hutchinson, 40 miles northwest of Wichita, offers an outdoor re-creation of the 1960s Titan rocket pit at Cape Canaveral, Fla., including the gantry system used by U.S. astronauts.

Visitors can hear Mission Control countdowns and rocket engines roaring to life.

At Blockhouse 5/6, which evokes the bunker where scientists watched launches, visitors can view launch films through a periscope.

“What we’re trying to accomplish is an immersive experience ... to involve all the senses,” said Jeff Ollenburger, president and chief executive of the center, which claims to have the most comprehensive collection of U.S. space artifacts next to the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C.

Other highlights of the new gallery include the Gemini 10 spacecraft and the suit worn by Michael Collins for a spacewalk on a 1966 flight; an unmanned version of the Vostok craft that took the Soviet Union’s Yuri Gagarin into mankind’s first trip into space in 1961; and a training suit that astronaut Walter Schirra wore to prepare for a 1962 flight.

Museum admission, including the planetarium and Imax theater, is $12.50 for adults, $10 for ages 5 to 12, free for those younger than 5. (800) 397-0330, www.cosmo.org.

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Electric-car tours of San Francisco

A 3-year-old company in San Francisco that rents electric vehicles is souping up its ride with audio tours.

Guided by a global positioning satellite system along three routes, drivers get directions on where to turn and what to look for.

Recorded voices describe significant sites and provides insights into the city’s history from the 1800s to the present.

The Global Electric Motorcars look like golf carts and can go up to 25 mph.

The company, Electric Time Car Rentals, charges $44 an hour for two-seaters and $56 for four-seaters; additional hours are half-price. The rental offices are in the Cannery at 485 Jefferson St. in the Fisherman’s Wharf area. Call (415) 674-8800, or go to www.etcars.com.

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Warnings on Uzbekistan and Bolivia

The State Department earlier this month warned visitors against traveling to Uzbekistan and Bolivia.

Regarding Uzbekistan, it cited “information that terrorist groups are planning attacks, possibly against U.S. interests ... in the very near future.” Bolivia’s “continued political unrest” was cited, and the department noted that “travel from the airport to La Paz is subject to sporadic blockades.” For a full list of travel warnings, visit www.travel.state.gov.

-- Jane Engle