Space exhibition pre-visit walkthrough

-: Powerhouse Museum Learning :-

Support material developed for teachers to prepare students’ visit of the Space exhibition

Space exhibition walkthrough

SpaceExhibition entrance

SPACElevel 1level 1

Space exhibition has 9 sections:-1. Timeline2. Lift off!3. The dawn of the Space Age4. In space to stay5. Living and working in space6. Home away from home7. Satellites at your service8. The world in space9. Exploring the solar system

Note: Follow this order and you will get the best out of the exhibition.

Note: The Take a peek AVs allow you to find out what’s happening on the upper level if you can’t go upstairs: 1. Mission Control Houston2. Habitation module3. Zero Gravity Space Lab

Take a peek AVsTo upper level

From upper level

from lower level

1

2

3

4 55

5

To lower level

6

6

78

9

1. Timeline: Dreams of spaceflight and the origins of rocketryIt is on your left as you come through the Transport exhibition.

Timeline

2. Lift off! The earliest liquid fuel rockets were developed in the 1920s. These paved the way for

the massive launch vehicles of today.

Goddard rocket replica

original Goddard

rocket engine

The Skylark rocket was the most widely used sounding rocket at the Woomera Rocket Range.

Between 1957 and 79, more than 200 Skylarks were launched from Woomera carrying Australian, British, American and European research instruments and experiments.

Skylark rocket

3. The Dawn of the Space AgeThis is on the upper level under the F-1 engine. This section looks the beginnings of the

Space Age and some the important early milestones in space exploration, including the Moon rock.

F-1 engine Sputnik-1

Vanguard-1

Zero gravity Space Lab

Space Shuttle

Soyuz 4-5

Moon

rock

Moon rock

The real trip to the Moon AV

Running time: 3 min

This Moon rock was collected by the Apollo-16 crew in April 1972. It weighs 89 grams and is 3.9 billion years old. The AV is a compilation of original footage from the Apollo-11 mission to the

Moon.

4. In space to stayFind out more about the early US and Soviet space stations that came before the

International Space Station (ISS).

5. Living and working in spaceWhat is it like to live and work in the weightless environment of space? Enter the Space

Shuttle and travel to the ISS to find out.

Space Shuttle

Inside the shuttle you can learn about the Space Shuttle and its many roles. Also, listen to astronauts Dr Andy Thomas and Dr Shannon Walker talk about the work of the ISS.

Heat-resistant tiles

Federation commemorative medal

Medal that commemorate Captain Cook's Second Voyage in 1772

Objects on display in the shuttle include heat-resistant tiles and thermal blanket material used to protect Space Shuttle from the heat of re-entry. Also, you can see the two

medallions carried on different Space Shuttle missions.

In the replica habitation module find out what it is like to live and work in the weightless environment of space. How do astronauts sleep? And how do they go to the bathroom?

On the bridge connecting the habitation module and the Zero Gravity Space Lab, you will see the Manned Manoeuvring Unit. This is a self-contained backpack that allows an astronaut to move

freely in space.

The Zero Gravity Space Lab uses special optical effects to create the illusion of weightlessness as if you were in space.

The Zero Gravity Lab experience is six minutes long. It is accompanied by the commentary from Dr Andy Thomas and Dr Shannon Walker about the research work carried out on the ISS and why it is

important to people back on Earth.

Take the stairs and go back to the lower level.

6. Home away from home

This section looks at some of the solutions to the problems of living and working in space. It is located under the habitation module.

Space food

Space shuttle flight suit

Sokol spacesuit

Soviet flight suit

Space toilet

Soyuz re-entry module

NAZ-3 emergency kit

A Soyuz re-entry module is used for emergency evacuations on the ISS while the NAZ-3 emergency kit was designed for use with the Soyuz spacecraft in the event of an off-course landing

in an inhospitable area or in water.

Satellite thermal blanket

7. Satellites at your serviceThis section looks at the applications satellites and the services they provide for us here

on Earth.

Space debris

8. The world in space

This section highlights some of the national and multinational space programs operating today, with a special focus on Australia.

Black Arrow payload fairings

ARC experiment

Project Wresat AVRunning time: 4 min.

In the sub-themes about Australia’s place in space you can find out about the Woomera Rocket Range, Australia’s role in space tracking and Australian satellites like WRESAT and FEDSAT.

9. Exploring the solar systemDon’t miss the display in the basement level. It looks at some of the amazing images

and information about our cosmic neighbourhood that robotic space probes have revealed to us.

Lunokhod-2 rover model

Exploring the solar system

Online resources1. Space exhibition, http://www.powerhousemuseum.com/exhibitions/space.asp

2. Space exhibition teachers notes, http://www.powerhousemuseum.com/pdf/education/teachersnotes/space.pdf

3. Solar system guide, Sydney Observatory, http://www.sydneyobservatory.com.au/astronomy/solar_system_guide.asp

4. NASA Education, http://www.nasa.gov/audience/foreducators/index.html

5. International Space Flight, http://www.worldspaceflight.com/

6. Human Space Flight, http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/home/index.html

7. A multimedia tour of the Solar System, http://nineplanets.org/

8. Explore Space and Astronomy, ABC Science, http://abc.net.au/science/topics/?topic=space

9. Science & Nature: Space, BBC, http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/space/

Relevant programs1. Space gallery tour for yrs 1-6

2. Technology & Innovation: Design and Make workshop for yrs 5 & 6

Image credit: All images used are from the Powerhouse Museum collection-: Powerhouse Museum Learning :-