The Denver Museum of Nature & Science will open its renovated “Space Odyssey” exhibition on Friday, Nov. 13, at 9 a.m. Future astronauts and inquisitive humans will have a place to discover answers to out of this world questions like, “How do we know how many stars are in our galaxy when we can’t see them all?” “How do you put the brakes on in space?” And, “How do we know what the far side of the Moon looks like if it never faces Earth?”
The years-long project was guided by community input, which orbited around the theme of “How do we know what we know about space?”
“Members of the community really helped shape this new experience,” Jodi Schoemer, Denver Museum of Nature & Science experiences & partnerships director said. “Their ideas were our guide, on everything from opportunities to experiment with how to successfully launch rockets to emphasizing our planet as a precious resource. We heard from indigenous knowledge keepers to space suit designers to help create pathways to understand how we know and understand the universe. Conversations with community also led us to embrace how science fiction can be a link to loving and understanding space, which led to experiences like the Fantasy Spaceship where you sit in the captain’s chair on the bridge like something out of ‘Star Trek’ to work together to explore, experiment, and make decisions. It’s a fun way to let your imagination run wild through space.”
Inside the reimagined “Space Odyssey,” guests will explore many ways of answering the question “How do we know that about space?”
- Traverse the Sensory Spacewalk in the new Fantasy Spaceship with over 11,000 “stars” that use 43 miles of optical fiber to help you feel like you’re in space.
- Feel the rumble of rockets and speed through the atmosphere in the launch simulator.
- Hear traditional and living indigenous knowledge of the night sky and Earth origins.
- Have your own body warp spacetime.
- Make your own gorgeous “Hubble” images of nebulae and galaxies.
- Drive a rover on the surface of Mars.
- Crash a projectile into a planetary surface to see how your crater measures up.
- Find the hidden disco ball. (Hint: it really spins.)
"We are so grateful to everyone who shared their visions for the new ‘Space Odyssey’ design with us. You encouraged us to embrace the power of imagination as inspiration,” George Sparks, Museum President & CEO said. “Our greatest hope is that by discovering how we know about the marvels of the universe that we live within, that guests will be inspired to invent, to explore, to follow their curiosity, and to imagine what more there is to know.”
“Space Odyssey” tickets are available beginning October 26th.. All guests are required to have a timed ticket to enter the Museum and a separate, timed ticket for “Space Odyssey” (however, there is no extra charge for the exhibition).
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