The National Space Centre
There is also the Gemini spacecraft which carried 2 astronauts into space between 1961 and 1966 before the Apollo missions.
Then you come to the the first floor of the Rocket Tower, and begin to learn about the "Space Race".
There are interactive sections for young and old throughout the tower - and the entire centre.
The next level up, is called Leaving Earth and covers the years 1942 to 1962.
This is such an interesting section, with so much I had never heard of before - a real learning curve.
You can also get to see the Blue Streak and Thor Able Rockets really close.
There is a Soviet Space capsule that you can sit in; and outside, if someone presses the right switches, they can talk you you - just like from Ground Control!
The top deck of the Rocket Tower is Destination Moon - this is really where the Space Race gets underway and covers the period from 1962 until 1975.
If you fancy looking like an astronaut - there is always then chance for a photo opportunity here!
It was interesting to read about Britain and Europe's achievements in space; specifically the Blue Streak rocket, one of which is on show here at the Space Centre.
And there is always something for the budding astronaut to have a go at!
There is plenty to discover about astronauts from all over the world, including Britain's very own Tim Peake.
This 3 metre high globe of the Earth shows the scale of how thin each atmospheric layer is.
You can have a go with a remote control Mars Rover.
For several years The National Space Centre, opened in 2001 near Leicester, has been voted the best Large Visitor Attraction in the East Midlands. I had passed the signs for it many times, not knowing what it was like - but this year I decided to visit it for myself, and was so glad I did.
It is well signposted from every direction going into Leicester's city centre; with a huge car park - although you do have to pay £3:00 for a day ticket. It opens every day at 10am until 4 or 5pm depending on the day. When you pay to go in, you can upgrade to a Free Annual Pass and return as many times as you like within the 12 months.
When you go inside, it is very easy to head straight for the 42 metre high Rocket Tower; the sight of the Blue Streak and Thor Able Rockets is quite amazing - especially when they fire up and smoke/steam is emitted from the lower booster section.
But if you resist the urge to go up the lift to the top of the tower, your visit will much more rewarding. Walk through the Boosters Cafe and Soyuz Lounge; leaving the interactive galleries until a little later on; and climb the stairs - where you will get an awesome view from above.
You pass the imposing Soviet Soyuz capsule hanging from the ceiling; and get a close-up view of the space craft with its solar rays, small windows, entry hatch and docking mechanism.
There is also the Gemini spacecraft which carried 2 astronauts into space between 1961 and 1966 before the Apollo missions.
Then you come to the the first floor of the Rocket Tower, and begin to learn about the "Space Race".
The first section entitled New Frontiers shows how rockets were first made, as weapons many years ago, and how they have developed over time.
You can watch a Black and White film called "Voyage to the Moon" - which was the first Sci-Fi film ever made. When you see it now, it is hard to believe that space travel was ridiculed as a farce.
There are interactive sections for young and old throughout the tower - and the entire centre.
The next level up, is called Leaving Earth and covers the years 1942 to 1962.
This is such an interesting section, with so much I had never heard of before - a real learning curve.
You can also get to see the Blue Streak and Thor Able Rockets really close.
There is a Soviet Space capsule that you can sit in; and outside, if someone presses the right switches, they can talk you you - just like from Ground Control!
You can learn how in 1947 fruit flies became the first living creatures to be sent into space, then rodents, dogs and the following year America was sending monkeys into space. Not to be outdone, the Soviets sent a dog called Laika into orbit, but there was no provision made to get her back to earth and she died from heat exhaustion a few hours into the flight.
On 12th of April 1961, Yuri Gagarin was the first man in space, he made a complete orbit of the earth and safely returned to it - a national hero. The Soviets had claimed dominance in the Space Race - and you can watch an interesting film show, from their perspective - all about the Russian's journey to achieve supremacy in space.
The top deck of the Rocket Tower is Destination Moon - this is really where the Space Race gets underway and covers the period from 1962 until 1975.
Only a few weeks after Yuri Gagarin's amazing feat, President Kennedy presented to Congress, plans for Manned-Missions to the moon - and the Race was on! The following year John Glenn became the first American to orbit the earth; and so it went on. Everyone was following the Apollo missions.
In 1969, after several successful missions into space, Apollo 11, with Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first men to set foot on the moon - whilst their crew mate orbited above them. The eyes of the world were on this momentous event and you can follow how it all unfolded.
There is even a living room resembling one from 1969, where you can watch the actual footage of the First Moon Landing on an old television set and listen to the commentary. It really does transport you back to that historic day.................if you are old enough to remember it!
If you fancy looking like an astronaut - there is always then chance for a photo opportunity here!
And you can see a real fragment of rock which was bought back from the moon in 1972.
It was interesting to read about Britain and Europe's achievements in space; specifically the Blue Streak rocket, one of which is on show here at the Space Centre.
And there is always something for the budding astronaut to have a go at!
This is a half scale model of the Orion 1 satellite which transfers radio, TV and internet signals. Satellites began at about the same time as the Apollo missions, and there are now hundreds of them orbiting the earth, a real lucrative business.
After a fascinating time on all 3 floors of the Rocket Tower, it was time to head back down to earth and check out the other interactive galleries, and learn more about space travel and our solar system.
This is a model of the International Space Station - the real thing is 50 times bigger. It is inspiring to learn that after decades of countries trying to out-do each other, 16 countries are now collaborating in this amazing project.
There is plenty to discover about astronauts from all over the world, including Britain's very own Tim Peake.
The Columbus Module is the European Space Agency's largest single contribution to the International Space Centre - sent up aboard the Atlantis Space Shuttle in 2008. Experiments on it can be carried out inside and outside the module.
You can get a really good feel for how astronauts work and live in space, from seeing how they sleep (even in an upright position), the vacuum packed food they eat, how they wash, exercise and I did find this interesting...............................
Witness the training needed to be able to live in space; have a go at some of the skills they have to learn, and find out just what happens to the human body when it has been in space for a month or so. Below are the different garments astronauts have to wear - depending what they are doing.
Included in your admission is a ticket for Sir Patrick Moore's Planetarium (the largest in the UK) and you are allocated a specific time to go into this theatre. It is well worth going in and watching the story of the Lunar Landing - there is so much going on in the 360 degree ceiling-space above, that you don't know where to look - I thoroughly enjoyed this. Don't miss it.
Surrounding this theatre are so many more galleries, where you can see every single aspect of the solar system; you can learn about waves, telescopes, stars, comets, other planets - and even see a tiny piece of Mars (from a meteorite that fell to earth in 1911).
This 3 metre high globe of the Earth shows the scale of how thin each atmospheric layer is.
This meteorological satellite was used to sending signals and weather information back to earth; and you can even have a go at reading a weather report (in a specifically designed booth).
There is so much to discover - if you have time to read everything. I have just included a few things I found quite interesting. You can uncover numerous facts about all the other planets in our Solar System, our search for life on other planets, and our fascination with aliens.
There are over 150 hands-on activities at the Space Centre, for young and old alike - plenty to keep you occupied for hours; and the final section is completely interactive. In here you can test your skills on various activities, from the craft centre, to trying your hand at being a mining engineer, driving a space module and completing a test to see if you have what it takes to become an astronaut of the future.
There is a large shop selling a full range of Inter galactic books, games and toys and you can even buy a telescope; and next to this is Boosters cafe where you can have a rest before going round and exploring some more. Be prepared to want to go back - there is far too much to take in, in one visit.
I can thoroughly recommend visiting the National Space Centre, whether you have children or not; as much as there is plenty to keep young ones occupied - there is just as much to keep adults entertained too. It really is a brilliant day out.
Thank you for taking the time to follow my adventures,
Lynne
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