This artist’s impression shows an imagined view of the three planets orbiting an ultracool dwarf star just 40 light-years from Earth that were discovered using the TRAPPIST telescope at ESO’s La Silla Observatory. These worlds have sizes and temperatures similar to those of Venus and Earth and may be the best targets found so far for the search for life outside the Solar System. They are the first planets ever discovered around such a tiny and dim star. In this view one of the inner planets is seen in transit across the disc of its tiny and dim parent star.

The weekend of Feb. 18, 2017 is one that will go down in history as a major milestone in space exploration. NASA discovered seven previously unknown, potentially Earthlike planets, and SpaceX successfully launched an unmanned Dragon spacecraft from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

A lesser-known exploration into the world beyond the stars took place this historic weekend, too: SMCC’s Association of Cosmic Explorers (ACE) went on its annual overnight trip to the Boston Museum of Science.

A trip to the nearest star takes roughly 17,900 years, but the Amtrak Downeaster only takes about an hour and 20 minutes to transport ACE from Portland to the Planetarium in Boston.

The Planetarium is one of the most popular exhibits at the Boston Museum of Science. Leaning back in a comfortable chair, staring at a peacefully lit projection of the night sky, it’s not hard to see why. Surrounded by a peripheral dome of stars and solar systems, throughout the presentation ACE members were treated to a beautifully gigantic display illustrating just how small we are in the universe.

Even the most rudimentary space mission requires immense amounts of planning, and an ACE trip to Boston is no different. Luckily, ACE leader Ivan Del Mar knows just how to planet (space-pun alert!). Hotel arrangements were kept far more spacious than the lodging offered on most NASA space explorations. It was less like floating in a tin can and more like relaxing in a studio apartment, with a fantastic view of the Leonard P. Zakim Bunker Hill Bridge. And with a sufficient food stipend and plenty of free time to explore some of the great restaurants in Harvard Square and Chinatown, there was nothing dehydrated about this journey’s meal plan.

Fun Fact! Did you know that if you vertically piled all the astronaut ice cream available at the Planetarium gift shop in a straight line between Earth and the moon, it would still taste stale?

What’s next for ACE? The sky’s the limit! That is, until spaceships become more affordable. Though such cost may be out of the club’s current budget, ACE is planning a collaborative fundraiser at the Portland Art Walk in May, to raise money for a deserving science organization.

With NASA’s new planet discoveries and amateur astronomers on the hunt for interstellar oddities, it’s entirely possible that ACE could potentially contribute to someday contacting other lifeforms. If we come in contact with extraterrestrial life, it’d be wise not to alienate them, but rather to treat them with the kind of acceptance and community found among the members of ACE throughout their trip to Boston. If there’s one thing that ACE can show us, it’s that it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to explore space.

By Jack Gentempo