“I want the kids to be excited about going to space and know that this is an option,” Thompson said.
Highlights of the exhibit include touching actual rocks from the lunar surface of the moon and Mars; exploring a Mars Base Camp while walking through a full-size habitat and work pod; taking a spin on a centrifuge; getting an up-close look at a wide range of artifacts from the space program and looking into future explorations of the universe.
Michael Brimmer, education division chief for the museum, said that anyone can learn something from the exhibit, which has information ranging from early astronomers to present day.
“We’ve got Newton and Galileo all the way to going to Mars,” Brimmer said. ““It doesn’t matter how old or young you are, because you’ll learn something no matter what.”
The exhibit will last from Jan. 28 to Sept. 6 and will follow social distancing and mask mandates. The Air Force Museum said it would issue gloves to each visitor interacting with the exhibit due to COVID-19, as well as cleaning the exhibit throughout the day. Visitors ages 3 and up are required to wear masks at the museum.
The National Museum of the U.S. Air Force, located at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base near Dayton is the world’s largest military aviation museum. With free admission and parking, the museum features more than 350 aerospace vehicles and missiles and thousands of artifacts amid more than 19 acres of indoor exhibit space. For more information, visit www.nationalmuseum.af.mil or contact the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force at 937-255-3286.
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