Matinee doubleheader provides thrill of Tour de France and space travel

This week's summer matinee at the Mayborn Planetarium and Space Theater features the large format film “Wired to Win: Surviving the Tour de France” and the planetarium star show “Far Out Space Places.” Show times are Monday and Wednesday, July 7 and 9, at 2 and 3 p.m. respectively. Tickets are $3 per person, per show.

“Wired to Win” is an action-packed, spellbinding ride chronicling the legendary Tour de France bike race. It seamlessly melds state-of-the-art computer animation of the human brain with the first-ever giant screen film footage of this grueling athletic event, thus bringing together the excitement of world-class sport and the frontiers of science. The audience comes face-to-face with these fierce competitors as they survive hair-raising crashes along the grueling course up storied mountain passes and thrilling descents down treacherous mountain roads at speeds of more than 100 kilometers an hour. Follow the world's top professional cyclists, including footage of Lance Armstrong, through the Alps to experience the fight-or-flight situations on a steep downhill switchback, witness their struggle to maintain mental focus on roads melting in a heat wave and learn from their constant battle with fatigue. Using a combination of cutting edge computer graphic digital animation, strong and inspiring personal stories and unprecedented giant screen footage, this film will entertain and, hopefully, inspire audiences of all ages that they too can tap into the incredible source of power and achieve the remarkable.

Then it's time to take a journey to “Far Out Space Places” This interactive show allows the audience to choose each destination on a virtual vacation to the top spots in the solar system. Explore the magnificent surfaces of the planets, moons and asteroids through the latest images captured by interplanetary spacecraft. Choose to hike through the canyons on Mars, dive beneath the oceans of Jupiter's moon Europa, trek around the craters of the asteroid Eros or journey to the tenth, newly discovered planet in our solar system, affectionately named Xena.

A complete schedule of weekend public shows can be found online at www.starsatnight.org.