The New Space Explorer Gallery at Virginia Air and Space Science Center

Whether you're seven or 70, the new Space Explorer Gallery at Virginia Air and Space Science Center in Hampton, Virginia, offers a unique opportunity to learn about gravity, explore the life cycle of a star, check out some of the spacecraft that were sent to Mars view both a Mars meteorite and a three-billion-year-old Moon rock brought back by the crew of the Apollo 17 mission in 1972.

As exciting as those things might be, they are just the “tip of the iceberg” when it comes to all there is to see and do through the interactive exhibits at this state-of-the-art science center. This is not your ordinary space museum, but rather a journey through space and time that allows you to actually “feel” what it's like to be weightless in space, and to practice a landing on either the moon or on Mars.

If you're wondering just how we know about Mars when it's so far away, new exhibits will help you understand how we came to know Earth's “neighbor” in space. You'll be able to see the vehicles NASA sent to Mars as part of the exploration of that planet. You can also learn more about Earth, this little planet we call home, and about its actual place in the universe all around it.

More than just static exhibits, this is a living history lesson and a sort of galactic field trip that allows visitors to study orbital patterns, learn about stars, “create" a black hole, and "play" in space in a way you've never before imagined.

The Virginia Air and Space Science Center is celebrating 25 years of innovative educational excellence as the official visitor center for NASA Langley Research Center.

It's located at 600 Settlers Landing Rd., Hampton, Virginia.

Whether you are a kid, or you'd just like to act like a kid for awhile, come visit the center and lose yourself in space!
Hampton, VA 23669