For those who have ever wondered what it’s like to be an astronaut, the Canada Aviation and Space Museum in Ottawa has opened a new exhibit, Living in Space.
The modular, interactive exhibit offers hands-on demonstrations of what life is like aboard the International Space Station. Visitors will learn how astronauts on board entertain themselves and manage daily tasks like personal hygiene, sleeping and exercise. An interactive dining table also lets guests experience what it is like to eat in the weightlessness of space.
The exhibit "incorporates multimedia with various objects, replicas and components used daily by astronauts during a mission to present the technical, psychological and physical challenges of life in space," explains the museum website.
"This exhibit is all about scientific curiosity. It’s asking that question, ‘how do you live in space; what happens to your body in space?’" explained Canadian astronaut Dave Williams.
Williams – who spent time on board the space shuttle Endeavor in 2007 – was one of several astronauts on hand for the exhibit’s launch yesterday (May 12).