The Planet Trek Venus site, representing Earth's sister planet, is located on the grounds of the Paseo Colorado shopping center (the illustration at right, however, shows a previously planned location in Central Park). The Imaginative Sculpture, much larger than the scale planet, is designed to capture attention from afar, and convey some aspects of the planet Venus. It consists of a sphere of cast red glass and green verdigris copper, 32 inches in diameter.
The base of the Imaginative Sculpture is a cylindrical stainless steel stand inclined at angle of planet's polar axis. A sealed ball-bearing internal mechanism permits the sphere to rotate manually in a clockwise direction. The approximate height, with the sphere is 4 feet 6 inches. The Planet Scale Model is part of a unique planet orbital disk depicting the equatorial plane and the scale model planet on the angle of its polar axis. The base supporting the Planet Scale Model is a pre-cast, uniquely finished concrete pedestal, with informational insets and a title plaque in stainless steel, copper or brass, with etched enamel infill. Both the Planet Scale Model and the Imaginative Sculpture are on concrete footings connected by a concrete arc with brass inset directional arrows and planet name. Ten "Great Question" plaques surround this site, set at ground level as at all the other sites.
The detail at right illustrates the scale planet model as a hemisphere only about a third of an inch in diameter (its true scale size in relation to the 3-foot diameter Sun 233 feet away). This model protrudes from a metal surface angled to represent the planet's equatorial tilt. Since Venus's tilt is only about 2 degrees from the orbital plane, the metal surface appears only that much out of level. All this sits atop a concrete pedestal with information and name plaques. Also present on the pedestal is a unique souvenir rub-transfer icon which may be used in school projects and promotional activities to provide evidence of visit.
NEXT: VISIT THE PLANET EARTH SITE
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