UNTIL JANUARY 10, 2021
How do astronauts live and work in space? Discover how they have managed to defy the challenge in Journey to Space.
Come explore the most astounding aspects of life in space. Learn about the dangers and difficulties astronauts face and venture into a future where planet Earth may no longer be the only place inhabited by humans. Embark on your very own journey to space during this five-part exhibition.
ZONE 1: SPACE IS DANGEROUS
Humans were not made for space. To live there, humans must overcome some mighty challenges such as extreme temperatures, cosmic rays, the vacuum of space, meteoroids… and that’s just for starters! Gladly, astronauts are well equipped to survive these dangers. Learn how technology was adapted to help them accomplish their interplanetary missions.
For instance, watch how everyday objects behave in a vacuum chamber and inspect the protective features of spacesuits through X-ray images, then observe the damage made by a simulated meteorite impact by watching it in slow-motion video.
You’ll also see a glove worn by Neil Armstrong as he trained before the first moon landing as well as an Apollo space helmet and a fragment of the Canyon Diablo meteorite.
ZONE 2: WEIGHTLESSNESS
Are astronauts floating or falling? In this zone, discover the wonders of weightlessness. Launch a puck into orbit on a specially converted air hockey table and release objects from a four-metre drop tower then watch the slow-motion instant replay to observe the effects.
You can also learn about orbital flight through a series of animated films that will reveal the mysteries of weightlessness, such as: Does gravity exist in space? Why do astronauts float? How come spaceships don’t fall to Earth?
ZONE 3: LIVING IN SPACE
Air and water are some of the essential things we need to survive. In this zone, explore how astronauts make do without them and learn how everyday life changes when living in space. How do astronauts answer the call of nature up there? Listen as they tell you all about it while you sit on a life-sized reproduction of a spacecraft toilet. What about food? What do astronauts eat in space? Surely not ice cream!
ZONE 4: WORKING IN SPACE
Astronauts are not sent into space just to hang out and admire the stars. There’s a mission to accomplish and work to be done! Yet, bundled up in those bulky spacesuits, how exactly do astronauts get anything done up there?
Then climb aboard a life-sized replica of the International Space Station’s US Destiny Lab that will rotate around you to give you a sense of how disorienting zero gravity can be without all the trouble of having to leave Earth.
Then complete your exploration of this zone by operating the space station’s energy system console.
ZONE 5: OUR FUTURE IN SPACE
First to the Moon, then building and living in the International Space Station… the quest to conquer space continues! Where will humankind go next and what’s to be discovered?
Ponder life on Mars by settling your own colony using magnets then snap a photo of yourself as a Mars explorer behind a space helmet.
