Thought-Provoking Exhibits

Here are just some of the compelling experiences and challenges you will encounter in FACING MARS. Learn if you would survive the journey through these and many other interactive experiences and intriguing content.

Put your face "in space"!

Explore some of the visible effects of microgravity on the human body - first hand! Before and after photos will reveal your own "puffy face" and the profound effect on space travellers' cardiovascular systems.

Blast off!

Design, test and launch your own rocket. Find out what makes for a stable flight and what happens when your rocket is out of balance.

Get a glider's view of Mars

Explore Mars from the air as you soar over the landscape captured and modelled by satellites orbiting Mars. You will see what the planet is like through some of the highest resolution images available.

Can you do the "Marswalk"?

What might it be like to walk and move under Martian gravity? Through a harness and counterweight system, you will walk like an astronaut on the Red Planet. Discover how it feels to lose 62% of your weight in 30 seconds!

Spacecraft to Mission Control...Do you copy?

Explore some of the real challenges of long-distance communication - and how stressful that may be. Learn why no one might hear you scream in space.

Choose a Mars crew with the right stuff

Who should go to Mars? What combination of skills, gender and ages should make up the crew? Find out if you can match up the best combinations.

First, do no harm

How do you cope with a medical emergency 50 million kilometres from home? Practice! See if you have the space surgery skills for Mars.

Gimme shelter

Explore the dangers of space radiation and how engineers propose to shield astronauts as they hurtle through space.

Fan a Marian dust storm

Sticky, staticky dust coats everything on Mars. Explore how big a challenge these tiny particles pose by stirring up and stepping inside your own mini dust storm.

Have you got the stomach for space?

Most astronauts experience space sickness in microgravity - how does being dizzy affect you? Can you solve simple puzzles after a whirl in the spinning chair?

Can you handle the pressure?

How well can you work when there is little air? Experiment with simple tasks under low air pressure and find out why a good space glove is hard to get.

Dowload the complete exhibition guide.