National Space Centre

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National Space Centre

Leicestershire

File:National Space Centre, Leicester.jpg
National Space Centre, Leicester
Type: Aerospace museum
Location
Grid reference: SK58800656
Location: 52°39’13"N, 1°7’56"W
City: Leicester
History
By: Nicholas Grimshaw
Aerospace museum
Information
Website: spacecentre.co.uk

The National Space Centre is a museum and educational resource covering the fields of space science and astronomy, along with a space research programme in partnership with the University of Leicester. It is located on the north side of the city in Belgrave, next to Space Park Leicester and the River Soar.

Many of the exhibits, including upright rockets are housed in a tower with minimal steel supports and a semi-transparent cladding of ETFE 'pillows',[1] which has become one of Leicester's most recognisable landmarks. The National Space Centre contains the United Kingdom's largest planetarium. It is a registered charity with a board of trustees.[2]

File:National Space Centre Entrance.jpg
The museum entrance

History

File:National Space Centre, Leicester. - geograph.org.uk - 70250.jpg
The National Space Centre

The initial idea of a space centre as a research facility but with public access, attached to the University of Leicester was first conceived in the 1980s – the idea of Professor Alan Wells, the Director of the University of Leicester's Space Research Centre and Professor Ken Pounds of the university. The plan was not taken further due to lack of funds.[3]

The Space Centre as a museum was then put forward in 1995 – by Professor Alan Wells; Professor Alan Ponter, the University of Leicester's pro vice-chancellor; and Nigel Siesage, the university's principal assistant registrar.[4][5]

Funding for the project came from the Millennium Commission, who provided 50% of the £52 million capital cost, four major partners; Leicester City Council, the University of Leicester, East Midlands Development Agency and BT Group; along with contributions from exhibition sponsors, Walkers, the Met Office, Omega, British National Space Centre and Astrium.[6]

The first element of the project was the Challenger Learning Centre which opened at Leicester University in December 1999 and moved to the National Space Centre site a year later. It was the first such centre outside North America, where 42 similar centres existed.[7] The centre was split in two, with one half replicating the inside of a spacecraft and the other, mission control.[8]

Originally it was to be called the National Space Science Centre, but in December 2000 the word science was dropped from the name for marketing reasons.[3] (The National Space Centre was often confused with the British National Space Centre, until they changed their name to the UK Space Agency)[9]

Opening

File:'The Pioneer' at the National Space Centre - geograph.org.uk - 5932051.jpg
'The Pioneer' (top left) and the main entrance

On 30 June 2001, former NASA astronaut Jeffrey A. Hoffman opened the National Space Centre officially to the general public.[10] In its first five months, the National Space Centre received 165,000 visitors, 25% ahead of its targets and was named Museum of the Year by the Good Britain Guide 2002.[11]

At opening, the centre was the base for more than 60 scientists and astronomers working on projects in a Space Science Research Unit.[12]

Astronaut Visits

Several astronauts have visited the Space Centre: it was opened by a NASA astronaut, Jeffrey A. Hoffman in 2001.[13] Helen Sharman showed Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh around when they visited the National Space Centre on 1 August 2002, as part of the Golden Jubilee National Tour.

It has also been visited and exhibits launched by Michael Foale, and Bernard Harris (the first African American to walk in space).[14] Buzz Aldrin, the second man on the Moon, visited and toured the Lunar Base 2025 Experience.[15]

Other astronauts visiting the centre have included Brian Duffy, Piers Sellers, Chris Hadfield, Walter Cunningham (of Apollo 7), Walt Cunningham, and Tim Peake.

Architecture

The Centre was designed by Nicholas Grimshaw, the architects of the Eden Project in Cornwall. The fit out was undertaken by C-Beck Group.[16]

The tower is 138 feet tall and claims to be the only place to house upright space rockets indoors.[17]

File:Rockets inside the National Space Centre - geograph.org.uk - 5291050.jpg
Rockets

Building

The scheme occupies a former storm water tank,[18] which now forms the foundations of the building, reducing costs and maximising the reuse of the existing structure.[19] The main rocket tower is clad in inflated pillows made of ETFE – the same material used on the Eden Project domes.[20] This material is 1% of the weight of the equivalent amount of glass.[21] The building was described by The Guardian as "One of the most distinctive and intriguing new buildings in Britain".[22] The main building is a 7200m2 box built on a 14m grid steel frame, clad in a perforated metal skin that conceals the windows and louvres in the profiled steel cladding behind.[23] The roof of the main building is overlaid with gravel in three colours to form a crab nebulae design.[24]

Construction began on the site in March 1999.[25]

Galleries

The National Space Centre has six main galleries, a welcome hall, an area for space talks, a planetarium and a spaceflight simulator. It also has a café and various conference and teaching rooms.

Welcome Hall

File:National Space Centre Welcome Hall May 2018.jpg
The Welcome Hall, with Soyuz 7K-OK

This Entrance Area contains a Soyuz Spacecraft and a Set of Spacesuits including Tim Peake’s Spacesuit, Buzz Aldrin’s Underwear and a Spacesuit from the film The Martian.

Into Space

A Gallery dedicated to space flight which includes a mock-up of the Columbus module from the International Space Station and a space toilet.

The Universe

This Gallery covers the formation of the universe, how mankind observes it, and the search for alien life.

The Solar System

The planets of the Solar System are the subject of this gallery which includes the TinyTarium, a planetarium especially for very young visitors.

Home Planet

A Gallery with the Planet Earth as the subject – how it is observed, how it is changing and the consequences of human actions.

Space Oddities

This is an area where selected artefacts from the National Space Centre's collection are exhibited. The Gallery is updated regularly by the Curator in order to display lesser-known objects with unique histories.

The Rocket Tower

File:The National Space Centre, Leicester - geograph.org.uk - 586977.jpg
Outside of The Rocket Tower
File:Rocket Tower, National Space Centre.jpg
Inside, Blue Streak and Thor Able

The Rocket Tower features stories from the space race and the two upright rockets it was specially designed to house, a PGM-17 Thor Able and a Blue Streak. The Rocket Tower also displays a piece of Moon rock.

LIVE Space

LIVE Space is an area where talks, live link-ups, news from space and science demonstrations are presented.

Tranquillity Base

In July 2005 it opened the Human Spaceflight Gallery, a lunar base set in the year 2025, dubbed Tranquillity Base. Visitors received a barcode and undertook a number of interactive tasks. It also included a space ride.[26]

Sir Patrick Moore Planetarium

On 26 January 2012, Sir Patrick Moore visited the National Space Centre to launch the Planetarium, newly renamed in his honour. He also launched a new Planetarium show, Tour of the Night Sky that included a series of 'Best Of' clips hosted by Sir Patrick himself.[27]

File:Sir Patrick Moore Planetarium, National Space Centre (2).jpg
The Sir Patrick Moore Planetarium

A Full Dome Planetarium which is used to project a variety of immersive shows, many of which are created by NSC Creative who are based at the National Space Centre. The Planetarium has 192 seats and 6 accessible spaces.

Tetrastar Spaceport

Launched in 2022, this is a simulated low Earth orbit cruise onboard a Spacecraft.

Notable exhibits

A selection of objects held in the National Space Centre's collections can be viewed online at the National Space Centre Collections Online.

The collection includes:

File:Russian Space Toilet on display at the National Space Centre (2).jpg
Russian space toilet at the National Space Centre
  • A piece of Moon rock prised from a fractured boulder near the rim of Shorty Crater. This was collected by Gene Cernan in December 1972 during Apollo 17, the last crewed mission to the Moon.[28][29] The fragment weighs 120g and is encased in a protective atmosphere.[30]
  • A mock Sputnik, the manufacture of which was overseen by creator Sergei Korolev, who demanded perfectionism; he once berated a junior technician with the words “This will be exhibited in museums”.
  • Space toilet: a demonstration example of a Russian space toilet, constructed by NPP Zvezda, of the type used on the Russian Mir space station.
File:EVA Spacesuit from The Martian movie.jpg
Matt Damon's EVA Spacesuit from The Martian
  • An EVA Spacesuit used during the filming of Ridley Scott's 2015 film, The Martian. Worn by Matt Damon and various stunt performers]]

Beagle 2 Operations Centre

Mission control for the Beagle 2 mission to Mars was based at the National Space Centre and was the first NASA or ESA mission to be run in the full view of the public.[31] Beagle 2's robotic arm, known as the PAW, was developed by a team led by the University of Leicester Space Research Group who also led on the technical design and the flight operations development.[32]

File:Beagle 2 at the Space Centre - Leicester (452719107).jpg
Beagle 2 at the National Space Centre
  • Back in Business, a 2007 comedy starring Martin Kemp, Denis Waterman and Chris Barrie about a heist involving a Moon buggy was partly filmed at the National Space Centre in 2005.[33]
  • Yamla Pagla Deewana 2 (2013), an Indian film, had scenes were filmed at the National Space Centre.

Pictures

 ("Wikimedia Commons" has material
about National Space Centre)

References

  1. ↑ "Grimshaw projects: National Space Centre, Leicester, UK". https://grimshaw.global/projects/national-space-centre/. 
  2. ↑ National Space Centre - Registered Charity no. 1078832 at the Charity Commission
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Space Supplement". University of Leicester: pp. 4. August–September 2001. 
  4. ↑ "Leicester boldly goes to the final frontier". Financial Times: pp. 6. 6 June 2001. 
  5. ↑ Initial proposal document dated 7 September 1994, as displayed in the foyer of the National Space Centre.
  6. ↑ "Supplement". University of Leicester Bulletin: pp. 1. June–July 2001. 
  7. ↑ "Leicester space centre blast off". Physics World: pp. 10. July 2001. 
  8. ↑ "We have lift off". The Guardian (Education): pp. 6. 27 May 2003. 
  9. ↑ Ahuja, Anjana (17 September 2007). "These chaps need a rocket". The Times: pp. 16. 
  10. ↑ "National Space Centre celebrates 20 years in Leicester". 30 June 2021. https://le.ac.uk/news/2021/june/space-centre-20. 
  11. ↑ "Award for space centre". 5 December 2001. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/1692582.stm. 
  12. ↑ "Space unit is on the launch pad". Times Higher Education Supplement: pp. 4. 13 July 2001. 
  13. ↑ "National Space Centre celebrates 20 years in Leicester". 30 June 2021. https://le.ac.uk/news/2021/june/space-centre-20. 
  14. ↑ "Space is the Place". 10 March 2005. https://www.bbc.co.uk/leicester/content/articles/2005/03/02/festival_science_culture_feature.shtml. 
  15. ↑ "Astronaut praises new attraction". 18 June 2005. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/leicestershire/4106876.stm. 
  16. ↑ "Profit Track Supplement". The Sunday Times: pp. 11. 20 May 2001. 
  17. ↑ "National Space Centre in Leicester celebrates 10 years". BBC. 30 June 2011. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-leicestershire-13812684. 
  18. ↑ "Nicholas Grimshaw's giant leap for Leicester". The Architects' Journal: pp. 9. 5 May 2001. 
  19. ↑ Brunton; Burnett; Lander; Bickers (1 March 2002). National Space Centre Leicester—from storm tank to star dome. 28–30. 
  20. ↑ "Watch This Space". Building: pp. 24–17. 6 April 2001. 
  21. ↑ "Nicholas Grimshaw's giant leap for Leicester". The Architects' Journal: pp. 9. 5 April 2001. 
  22. ↑ Glancey, Jonathan (5 March 2001). "We have lift-off". The Guardian: pp. G2 12–13. 
  23. ↑ "Watch This Space". Building: pp. 24–27. 6 April 2001. 
  24. ↑ "Space the final frontier for waterproofing". What's New in Building: pp. 5. February 2001. 
  25. ↑ "National Space and Science Centre Supplement". Architects' Journal: pp. 5. 5 July 2001. 
  26. ↑ "Haley Sharpe plots Tranquillity Base course". Design Week: 4. 21 July 2005. 
  27. ↑ "The Sir Patrick Moore Planetarium launches". 26 January 2012. https://www.skyatnightmagazine.com/news/the-sir-patrick-moore-planetarium-launches-2/. 
  28. ↑ "The National Space Centre". BBC Sky at Night: pp. 63. March 2006. 
  29. ↑ "Never forget – Apollo really was a giant leap". The Times: pp. 13. 29 September 2007. 
  30. ↑ "The Times Line". The Times: pp. 7–9. 29 September 2007. 
  31. ↑ "Mission Control Moves to Leicester". The Times: pp. 6. 16 April 2003. 
  32. ↑ "The Times Line". The Times: pp. 7–9. 29 September 2007. 
  33. ↑ "Space Centre sees its own 'stars'". 7 June 2005. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/leicestershire/4616857.stm. 
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