Nasa, Apollo 11, Neil Armstrong. Words and images we all know from the history of space exploration. In case your knowledge is limited only to the man-landing-on-the-Moon episode — or to the film Interstellar — you will have the opportunity to get it expanded in a world-class showcase visiting Bangkok next month.
Space Shuttle Columbia, right. From second right, replicas of rockets used in projects Mercury, Gemini and Apollo.
Hailed as the world's greatest space exhibition, "NASA — A Human Adventure" has, since 2010, toured four countries in Europe and, more recently, Japan. The exhibition is an exploration of how unlikely dreams — from putting a human in orbit around the world to landing a man on the moon — became reality five decades ago and what it took to make that happen.
About 350 exploration-related objects — many of which were used in real space operations — are displayed to recount Nasa's human space flight programmes.
The first was Project Mercury, which ran between 1959 and 1963, with the goal of putting a man in orbit around the Earth. Running from 1965 to 1966 was Project Gemini, which aimed to develop space travel techniques to meet Project Apollo's purpose of landing a man on the Moon.
Visitors may not be able to make head nor tail of how most of the huge metal objects actually functioned. But getting a closer look provokes a sense of awe at the level of intelligence of the people who invented them.
Replica of Neil Armstrong’s spacesuit.
The first part of the exhibition takes visitors back in time to the 1950s to learn about the early space race between the two then superpowers — the Soviet Union and the US — and how the Americans were so consumed with it. News stories on black and white television, old posters and archived newspapers and magazines are displayed.
Then we witness the Soviet "victory" of sending the first man-made satellite, Sputnik, into space. The two countries' early experiments of sending up live animals is also featured. Images are shown of the first dogs and chimpanzees preparing to take off.
Stories about Yuri Gagarin and Alan Shepard, the first Russian and American astronauts in outer space, are presented, alongside a display of their personal belongings.
Perhaps more exciting is the sight of the slender rocket models first used by the American rocket programme. Among the highlights are scale models of the famous Mercury Redstone, which launched an American satellite and astronaut, Mercury-Atlas which sent an American astronaut into Earth orbit and Apollo Saturn V, which transported the crews of Apollo 8 through to Apollo 17 on the lunar landing missions.
We also learn about the world's first successful Moon-landing mission by Nasa's Apollo 11 which in 1969 enabled Neil Armstrong to become the first human to walk on the Moon.
The next zone gives an interesting picture of how astronauts lived their lives on a daily basis during the missions.
Several replicas of Apollo spacesuits are displayed. Of course, the model of the suit worn by Armstrong gets most attention, especially from selfie addicts. It was amazing to learn that his real suit, comprising 11 layers of protective material, weighed up to 82kg on Earth.
Other interesting exhibits in this zone include examples of Apollo space food, which looks lightweight and was edible in zero gravity. There is also a rare chance to see a space toilet, space nappies and a pair of special boxer shorts astronauts had to wear under their spacesuits if they needed to defecate while on a moonwalk.
The last part of the exhibition is devoted to space innovations and exploration projects. Many replicas of the space capsules give an overall picture of Nasa projects Mercury, Gemini and Apollo. Another attraction is the 1/24 scale model of a Space Shuttle, the first operational orbital spacecraft from Nasa.
I spent nearly two hours touring every corner of the exhibition before leaving with a sense of satisfaction. It might not make everyone a science genius but is a light way to educate visitors on space technology. It can inspire people to take a stronger interest in a field which is normally too difficult to understand.
This kind of exhibition can be a great source of inspiration for Thai children. Who knows? One day they might grow up to be the pioneers of the greatest project the world has ever seen.
- "NASA — A Human Adventure" will be held at the Bangkok Convention Centre at CentralPlaza, Lardprao from Dec 1-Feb 1.
- Tickets cost 500 baht and can be purchased from Thai Ticket Major booths. Visit www.thaiticketmajor.com or call 02-262-3838.
Replica of Lunokhod 2, a remote-controlled lunar rover built by the Soviets.
Apollo 17 Command Module parachute.
