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GPS Adventures at the Minnetrista Cultural Center

June 2, 2007

In June 2007, the Minnetrista Cultural Center in Muncie, Indiana, became the first museum to host the GPS Adventures exhibit, an interactive maze experience intended to educate the general public about GPS and the sport of geocaching.

Learn more about the exhibit

Over 100 geocaching enthusiasts from across the nation converged at Minnetrista to celebrate the grand opening of GPS Adventures. Jason Kim of the National Coordination Office for Space-Based Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (which co-sponsored the exhibit) documented the festivities with these photographs. The National Coordination Office for Space-Based Positioning, Navigation, and Timing continued to support the GPS Adventures exhibit as it traveled to other educational venues around the United States.

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The Minnetrista Cultural Center building on a sunny day.
Minnetrista Cultural Center
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GPS adventures Start Here sign with an arrow pointing to the exhibit.
Entrance to the Exhibit
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GPS Adventures Exhibit with a Start Here sign and arrow.
Close Up of Exhibit
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Sign with each sponsor on it: Trimble, Groundspeak, National Space-Based PNT Executive Committee, and Minotaur Maze Exhibits
Exhibit Sponsors
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GPS satellite model in a glass enclosure.
GPS Satellite Model
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Various types of GPS user equipment in glass cabinets.
GPS User Equipment
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A little girl stands at a booth with pads of paper and pens. A sign above the booth says Design the Future
Visitors Submit Their Own GPS Ideas
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Wall labeled GPS Adventures Quiz with questions and yes/no and true/false answers.
GPS Adventures Quiz
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Jason Kim stands in front of a large panel labeled Who's In Charge of GPS.
Panel on the Government's Management of GPS
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People stand in front of an exhibit on how to read topographical maps.
Learning How To Read Maps
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A girl pulls out a box labeled Official Geocache from a log in the exhibit.
Hunting For Clues in a Hidden Cache
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Someone opens a locked door with a keypad, labeled Satellite 2: The Great Outdoors
Using the Clues to Unlock Special Rooms
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An exhibit of the seattle space needle
Visitors Learning Geographic Facts About the Seattle Space Needle
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People gathered around a puzzle labeled The Space Needle
Using Their New Knowledge to Solve a Puzzle
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Three people talking in front of a wall with the sponsors written on it.
Two Geocachers Who Drove Up From Mississippi
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A board labeled GPS Adventures with dozens of GPS receivers for use.
GPS Receivers Available for Use in the Outdoor Geocache Hunt
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A bird's eye view of the lobby/exhibit with people walking around.
Visitors Arriving for the Opening Event
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A long line of people in front of a desk with a revolving door and a line of windows in the background.
A Long Line to Get In!
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A line of people in front of a table with a paper and pen. A revolving door and wall of windows is in the background.
Signing Into the Guest Log
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Minnetrista CEO Betty Brewer stands behind a podium with others in the background.
Welcoming Remarks From Minnetrista CEO Betty Brewer
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A roomful of people sitting in chairs and on the floor.
Lots of GPS Enthusiasts in the Audience
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A roomful of people standing very close to each other.
Visitors Flooding into the Exhibit
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People standing in front of part of the exhibit.
Geocachers Searching for More Clues
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A group of people in front of an exhibit labeled Bus Map Puzzle.
Solving Another Puzzle
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A group of people talking while others browse the exhibits in the background.
Folks Sharing Their Geocaching Experiences
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Jeremy Irish holds paper and pen while another person behind him signs a ball.
Geocaching Guru Jeremy Irish Signing Autographs
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The dev team poses in front of the exhibit. GPS Adventures and Start Here sign in the background.
The Development Team Posing in Front of the Exhibit
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A plateful of cookies decorated with the GPS Adventures logo.
Customized Cookies to Mark Opening Day
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A table with a geocaching book, frog plushie, and frog head toys.
Plenty of Merchandising, Too