The Science Museum of Virginia in Richmond has opened the first phase of Orbit, a permanent exhibition about space science. The museum’s current visitor page confirms that the gallery is open, and a November 2 announcement describes four initial interactive experiences.
Visitors can design a planet by changing its size, tilt and atmosphere, or manage energy and oxygen supplies in a simulated spacecraft. Another activity lets people alter the paths of projected objects by changing the simulated gravitational pull.
A particle-based display explores the stellar origins of elements in the human body. Together, the activities connect astronomy with physics, biology and engineering rather than presenting space exploration only through spacecraft models.
The museum says Orbit will be installed in phases, with more activities still to come. The current gallery is on Level 0, outside The Dome, and is included with general museum admission. Visitors should distinguish the four experiences already available from the additional exhibits planned for a later phase.
Archive: the Science Museum of Virginia’s portico, photographed in March 2012. This is not an image of the new Orbit exhibition. Photo: Eli Christman / Science Museum of Virginia Portico Fisheye; CC BY 2.0.
