A new ‘Home Planet’ gallery has launched today at Leicester’s National Space Centre, 62 years after the first Earth Day.
The gallery, which opened on Earth Day earlier today (April 22), explores how satellite data is vital for managing our relationship with the air, water and land of our home in space.
It aims to inspire visitors to consider how we can all live more harmoniously with our home in space, by telling the story of the human impact on the environment.
Explaining the initiative, Kevin Yates, Head of Exhibition Design at the National Space Centre, said: “We’ve designed the gallery to take visitors on a journey aimed at deepening our appreciation for the beauty and wonder of this living planet. On that journey we face the reality of what human activity is doing to the natural environment, and how satellite technology is vital for helping us better manage our relationship with our home in space.
“The journey concludes on an aspirational note, with visitors considering the individual and collective changes they are willing to make to live more harmoniously with our Home Planet.
“It’s been a privilege to work with such dedicated and creative teams, both here at the Centre and the businesses and organisations we have engaged with throughout the development”, he added.
“They have pulled out all the stops to deliver this highly interactive Home Planet gallery in the most challenging of times. Of course, the vision we had for this project is only now a reality because of the generosity and support of our amazing funders”.
The gallery features an interactive projection floor featuring ice, water, and sea creatures that respond to visitor movements, whilst a large screen above displays the many wonderful habitats and forms of life on our home planet.
The main show will introduce the theme of rising global temperatures with a timelapse running from pre-industrial times through to present day. As the video plays, a giant thermometer in the area near the audience responds according to the temperature portrayed at points during the show.
An art installation by local artist Michelle Reader based on the ‘Great Wave off Kanagawa’ but made entirely from recycled materials will highlight the human impact on the environment.
Visitors will also be able to discover the health status of the planet through hands-on displays and infographics, many based on satellite data obtained by observing the air, water and land of our planet.
To find out more, visit: https://spacecentre.co.uk/
