10 Cool Space Museums Around the World - Part 2
Image Credits: Pedro Szekely
It is easy to get lost with so many possibilities. Some museums are very interactive, and others are very technical. However, all of them take us on a fantastic trip out of this world. That was a very hard list to put together, but we picked 5 cool space museums outside Europe. To see the museums in Europe, check part one of this post.
6 - Museo Nacional Aeronáutico y del Espacio, Santiago de Chile, Chile.
The museum counts with 12 exhibitions, one of the rooms is dedicated exclusively to space with material about observation and exploration landmarks. Besides showing the story of military, commercial, private, and sports aeronautical activity, the museum also has a space for natural flights and mythology. The museum also offers a unique exhibition for visually impaired people and another one for kids where they can learn while playing. To know more, visit their website here.
Image credits: Museo Nacional Aeronáutico y del Espacio, Santiago de Chile
7 - Carnarvon Space and Technology Museum, Carnarvon, Australia.
The city of Carnarvon was home to NASA’s tracking station from 1964 to 1975 and played an essential role in communications and telemetry for NASA’s Gemini, Apollo, and Skylab missions. The place was the last contact point for astronauts before they re-entered the atmosphere to a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean. In 1996, to support the Apollo missions, the OTC Tracking Station was constructed; however, the stations were decommissioned in 1987. The museum was only opened in 2012.
Initially, the stations had a 12.8 meter wide antenna as part of the global satellite communications system. Later in 1969, a more substantial 29.6 meter wide antenna was built to facilitate better communication between the tracking station and the USA.
The goal of the museum is to show the role of each station in early space History, with hands-on exhibits, and a theater. The place has a full-scale replica of Mercury-Redstone rocket. Also, a full-size walk-in mock-up of an Apollo command module, where visitors can experience launching with sound and vision.
You can also take a virtual tour on their website.
8 - TeNQ Space Museum, Tokyo, Japan
This museum combines creativity, inspiration, and learning to instigate curiosity and passion through a storytelling way to present space facts. There are 9 areas to experience space from different perspectives.
As an entertainment space-themed museum, it has a very interactive area called creative. However, science is also part of its exhibits. There are scientists from the University Museum, University of Tokyo, working in the Research Center located inside the Science area of the museum.
The journey starts in the lobby, a room of a space Nerd, with shelves containing books and miniatures related to space, after that the visitor walks into the Tunnel Zero, a dark and winding hallway. Every step has a meaning. In Theater “Sora”, visitors will feel like looking at space, thanks to the big and round theater with 4K resolution and 11 meters in diameter, where you can immerse yourself in space.
It is time to connect your memories and impressions from the TeNQ exhibitions to your own experience in the Connection Place. Or to experience the hallway Wordarium, with a screen full of stars, and inspiring words from scientists, poets, and artists who dealt with the theme of outer space in their work. The Special Exhibition area is dedicated to temporary exhibitions, and many of them are related to popular culture.
Image credits: Tokyo Dome City
9 - Canada Aviation and Space Museum, Ottawa, Canada
Located in the former military base, at the Rockcliffe Airport, the museum shows all areas of flight and Canadian contributions to space travel and related achievements, including the country’s role in the ISS.
The museum offers flight simulators and many interactive exhibitions. You will find the suit worn by the first Canadian astronauts, the first Canadarm, a full-scale Alouette-1 model, first Canadian space satellite. Also information on health challenges suffered by astronauts, including testimony from Dr. David Saint-Jacques, a medical officer who has been aboard the International Space Station. You will also be able to look inside a model of the Soyuz capsule, as well as try the Disorientation Station and maybe feel the dizziness sometimes felt by astronauts in space.
You can also visit the internationally known expansive collections of early aircraft manufacturers in Canada, military aircraft, and the Royal Canadian Air Forces (FCAF).
10 - Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, Washington DC, US
With over 60000 artifacts featuring worldwide aviation, how things fly, and location guidance across time, the museum also has more than one gallery portraying the theme spaceflight and space in general.
From many exhibits, including an interactive area for kids of all ages, visitors will encounter knowledge about satellites’ applications, astronomy, the universe, space shuttle, quarantine facilities, space probes, orbiters, landers, the space race, and the ISS.
Some objects that visitors can see are the actual telescope tube from William Herschel’s, the backup mirror for the Hubble Space Telescope, as well as its full-size test version of the telescope. Also, Neil Armstrong’s spacesuit from Apollo 11, the Mercury Friendship 7 capsule, the Lunar Module 2, and a moon rock. The museum also has an observatory, as well as interactive flight simulators and VR rides.
The best part about this museum is, as many other museums from Smithsonian Institute, they are free, and no ticket is required.
There are still a lot of great space museums around the world. Is there another one that would like to see on our list? Let us know what your favorite space Museum is on our social media.
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This article was written by Juliane Verissímo - Marketing Department of VisionSpace