Exploring Space

The Exploring Space gallery contains a host of rockets, satellites, space probes and landers. You’ll be able to find out how the space age started in 1957 with the launch of Sputnik 1 and how we’ve gone on to launch thousands of satellites around Earth, send spacecraft to other planets, walk on our Moon and peer into the heart of our galaxy and beyond.

Above your heads are two real space rockets: one a British Black Arrow, the other a United States Scout. A Black Arrow launched the Prospero satellite in 1971, while Scout vehicles put hundreds of payloads and spacecraft into orbit between 1960 and 1994.

There is a section devoted to the thousands of satellites – working and redundant, as well as the pieces of space debris – that are orbiting Earth. A huge projection depicts these in their low, medium and high orbits. Find out what satellites are used for and why they are an indispensable tool for studying climate change.

There is a highly accurate, full-sized replica of ‘Eagle’ – the lander that took astronauts Armstrong and Aldrin to the Moon in 1969. And just alongside you can find out more about how we are able to live in space – to breathe, to eat, to drink and… to go to the toilet.

This gallery redevelopment is supported by EADS, and the British National Space Centre, and the Science and Technology Facilities Council.