Watching movies or TV series about space can ignite curiosity in people. Therefore, space enthusiasts should not miss the exhibition "Space Journey Bangkok", which features artefacts used in actual space missions. The exhibition is divided into 10 rooms, featuring over 600 items including original objects, prototypes, replicas, models and rare documents from the US, Soviet Union and other countries.
In collaboration with Index Creative Village and Bhiraj Buri Group, "Space Journey Bangkok", exhibiting at BITEC Buri and covering an area of 2,000m², offers a combination of knowledge and entertainment. The exhibition aims to raise awareness and foster interest in learning about the importance of space technology as well as inspire and ignite interest in space science and technology among Thai youths.
Before visiting "Journey Space Bangkok", visitors should download the Smart Guide application, which provides an audio self-guided tour in numerous languages. This audio guide presents conversations between a young space enthusiast, Thomas, and his father, an astronaut, who informs visitors about the exhibition.
Sputnik 1 launched by the Soviet Union.
A replica of American spacecraft Mercury Friendship 7.
The first room, Dreams And Vision/Jules Verne's Journey To The Moon, presents the period before people created a spacecraft. Before anyone had travelled to space, Jules Verne, a French author, came up with the idea of it in his science fiction classic Voyages Extraordinaires, published in 1875.
In addition to Voyages Extraordinaires, other novels by Verne such as From The Earth To The Moon And Around The Moon, inspired scientists and engineers about space travel. In the audio guide, Thomas jokes that the idea of attempting to send someone to the Moon with a giant cannon in the book was hilarious.
The first room also displays an original fuselage of the V2 missile designed by German aerospace engineer Wernher von Braun. The V2 was originally designed as a weapon of war, but it was also the first man-made object launched into space.
The second room, Cinema, is a screening room with a capacity of 50 people. A six-minute film serves as an exhibition summary which takes visitors on a journey through the history of human space exploration from its beginnings to the present.
Mock-ups of food for astronauts.
Russian spacesuit.
The third room, Conquering Space, exhibits the first human, the first living creature and the first satellite in space. Yuri Alexeyevich Gagarin, a young Soviet fighter pilot, was the first human to fly to space and return successfully on April 12, 1961. The exhibition reports that when Gagarin entered the spacecraft, he knew he only had about a 50% chance of survival. On that journey, there were technical issues that caused the ship to rotate to the extremes. Gagarin remained calm, followed the command to eject from the ship 7km above the Earth and survived.
To gain more information about how living creatures survive in space, Laika, a stray dog from Moscow, experienced space travel. Before travelling to space, Laika was trained along with other stray dogs. They learned to consume a special diet for space travel and to tolerate confinement for hours, loud noises and vibration.
On Nov 3, 1957, Laika boarded the Soviet satellite Sputnik 2. Unfortunately, there was tragedy because Laika died of overheating after several hours in orbit. To pay tribute to Laika's sacrifice, there is a monument dedicated to her in Moscow.
Space toilet from a Soyuz.
A straw with a cap for drinking Coca-Cola and Pepsi.
Additionally, Conquering Space displays Sputnik 1, the first satellite to orbit Earth, launched by the Soviet Union on Oct 4, 1957. Another highlight is a replica of the American Mercury Friendship 7 to demonstrate the limited space available to astronauts in spacecraft where the internal temperature could reach up to 40C. The replica actually consists of some original pieces.
The fourth room, Apollo Program - Landing On The Moon, showcases the history of the Apollo missions and spacesuits. A TV screen shows President John F. Kennedy announcing the goal of landing the first man on the Moon.
It was ambitious of the US to compete with Russians to send the first man into space. The audio guide explains that Neil Armstrong who travelled with Apollo 11 became the first man to walk on the moon on July 20, 1969. However, before this achievement, there were sacrifices as three astronauts died during the first launch tests.
The exhibit includes a real piece of Moon rock that was blasted into space when a large meteorite struck the lunar surface. The exhibit reveals one of these stones landed in the Sahara, in North Africa, in 2015. Besides many spacesuits and helmets used in flights and for training, there are mock-ups of food for astronauts in space such as tuna salad, a cheese sandwich and pea soup.
A life-sized habitat module from the Russian space station MIR.
A mock-up of the Columbia space shuttle cockpit.
Room number five presents the Soyuz Project, the longest operational human spacecraft programme, launched by the Soviet Union in 1967. This is an eye-opening experience for Thais since many are not familiar with Russian space projects. The exhibit displays a Soyuz ship, parachute and altimeter. Visitors can catch a glimpse of life in space when viewing space socks, a space toilet and a straw with a cap for drinking Coca-Cola and Pepsi in a micro-gravity environment. The audio guide explains that astronaut food comes in special packages with caps, so that they can squeeze it straight into their mouths.
Room number six, Space Station, showcases a life-sized habitat module of the Russian space station MIR. The model includes various equipment such as an exercise bike mounted on the ceiling. As the model was designed on a slanted platform to simulate the feeling of being in a weightless environment, visitors may feel a bit dizzy walking through it.
Room number seven, Space Shuttles, provides information about the history of American space shuttles and the Russian Buran shuttle. The highlight of this room is a cockpit model of the Columbia space shuttle.
Elon Musk's SpaceX.
Yuri Alekseyevich Gagarin was the first human to fly to space.
Room number eight, Mars Exploration And Colonization Of Planet Mars, takes visitors to explore the environment on the Red Planet. There is a model of the Mars rover Opportunity, a robot, which worked for 5,498 days to send data to Earth. Although Mars is the planet most similar to Earth, the audio guide reports that so far, Martians have not been found.
Room number nine, Deep Space, introduces entrepreneurs who are interested in investing in spacecraft, space exploration and tourism. For example, British billionaire Richard Branson aims to provide sub-orbital space tourism which allows passengers to experience micro-gravity for approximately five minutes. The exhibition indicates that billionaire Elon Musk claimed that he wants to die on Mars, so his company Space X is likely to launch many space projects in attempts for him to realise his dream.
The final room, Space Journey Camp, offers fun activities such as VR rides and a gyroscope, a challenging device where players can test their balance after spinning on a wheel at a speed of 35kph.
Space Journey Bangkok runs until April 16 at BITEC Buri, Event Space 97, in Bangna. Tickets cost 650 baht per person. A group ticket (4 people) costs 2,400 baht. A gyroscope and VR ticket costs 120 baht each per ride. For group bookings of more than 4 people, please contact the organisers.
Tickets can be purchased at icvticket.com or call 094-492- 6999/083-421-4422 or contact Line: @icvticket.
For more information, visit facebook.com/spacejourneybkk.
Voyages Extraordinaires by Jules Verne.
A jumpsuit used by naval aviators from the USSR.
