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What a treat to briefly leave our planet behind and lose yourself in the ‘Space: The Human Quest’ exhibition in Antwerp, where you come face to face with real exhibits and replicas from 50 years of space travel. The exhibition takes visitors on a journey through the past, present and future of space exploration. “One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind” – those were the now iconic words uttered by Neil Armstrong when he first set foot on the moon, back in 1969. The exhibition in Antwerp proves once again that space fascinates, surprises and amazes us.
Exploring is for all
There is a great deal of enthusiasm for the show – the lady at the front desk energetically explained that even in sunny summer weather, people can be seen queuing out of the door. Many school groups visit in the mornings and afternoons, and the general public takes over at the weekend. Not to mention all the events that take place in the evenings! It’s a lively exhibition, captivating visitors of all ages. There is even a “docking game”, allowing visitors to try docking a Soyuz, Crew Dragon or Starliner craft to the ISS. A model shows us what life could be like in a futuristic village on Mars. All of our senses are stimulated: you can find out what the moon smells like, or feel the texture of Mars rock or a meteorite. In the audio guide, space expert Lieven Scheire takes you on a journey through the exhibition, with many a space travel anecdote along the way. Two tailor-made “quests” have been created for primary (6-12) and secondary (12-18) school students: an audio tour in quiz form, using the Podcatcher’s buttons to select the correct answer.
More about the exhibition
The exhibition’s coordinator, Sanne Augusteyns, told me who took the initiative for the exhibition, and why. Entrepreneur Jürgen Ingels is the driving force behind the project, inspired by the love he has had for space since he was a boy. His father was equally fascinated by space travel, as demonstrated by the huge replica rocket taking pride of place on his desk. That passion for space was handed down to Ingels, who began collecting historical documents and materials relating to space travel after his father’s death. His dream was to one day set up an exhibition around space travel – an ambition which has now been fulfilled. Ingels also wants to encourage a love of technology, innovation, and science in young people.
You can spend hours at this exhibition: the many stories and anecdotes inspire both seasoned connoisseurs and complete novices. Humanity’s desire to explore and conquer space will always be with us.
I was most fascinated by the heroic story of Albert II, the rhesus macaque who was the first mammal in space in 1949, and by Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin’s report of his experience as the first man in space. And, of course, Belgian space heroes are celebrated too. Dirk Frimout was the first Belgian ever to go to space, and his original flight suit is on display here. His full flight lasted exactly 8 days, 22 hours, 9 minutes and 28 seconds. We all remember the iconic footage of the then Prince Filip calling Frimout in space. “Dirk, you may call me Filip, because there is no protocol in space.” Historic words.
The final film leaves us with a warm message for humanity: “We’re all connected. We’re challenging the boundaries; let’s keep searching, let’s keep looking and let’s keep wondering. Look beyond the horizon. Where we find places and space. What man can imagine, man can do. Make it count!” The universe inspires us to discover so much more, allows us to breathe and to dream…
‘Space: The Human Quest’ can be visited at Antwerp Expo until 30 June 2022.