In conjunction with the Astronaut Exhibit
Eleven-year-old Isaac Pompili of Spencerport has his NASA Apollo Saturn V LEGO® build on display at the Rochester Museum & Science Center in conjunction with its Astronaut exhibit. It was Isaac’s father, Joe, an RMSC member since 2019, who reached out to the museum in August 2025 to offer a loan of his son’s rocket build. After some strategic planning, the RMSC team gratefully accepted.
The RMSC is where you will find some of the most curious lifelong space and STEM lovers (and if we’re being honest, LEGO® enthusiasts). Staff members working on the Astronaut exhibit’s interdepartmental planning team were thrilled by the community connection and immediately knew that Isaac’s LEGO® build would be a perfect addition to the exhibit. For every traveling exhibit at the RMSC, the Exhibits team seeks to incorporate a Rochester connection or objects from the RMSC’s collections to enrich learners’ experiences and provide gateways to learning. In addition to Isaac’s loan located in the Welcome Lobby, visitors will find:
- Personal items taken into outer space (a fork, tea, a comb, and more) by Rochester’s own Pamela Melroy, previous Deputy Administrator of NASA, during her STS-92 (October 2000) and STS-120 (2007) flights. (Located in the Astronaut exhibit.)
- Biographies of 11 other upstate New York innovators of space exploration (Located on the third floor, outside of the Riedman Gallery.)
- A mural of an image that Pamela Melroy took of Rochester and the Finger Lakes with a Kodak camera from the NASA Space Shuttle STS-92 in space. (Located in the café.)
Issac says he feels honored and is excited to have his work displayed for so many science and space enthusiasts to enjoy. He built the LEGO® sculpture when he was only five years old. One of Isaac’s favorite movies is Apollo 13, and he is fascinated by the infinite nature of space, as well as the problem-solving and trial-and-error involved in space exploration. Isaac is an active athlete participating in multiple sports, a leader in his school band as an accomplished saxophone player, and can now add Collector to his repertoire…