Up to Space

EXHIBITION

NOVEMBER / APRIL

2023-2024

At the biggest

launch pad

near you

Who hasn't dreamed of being an astronaut?

Travelling through Space, walking on the Moon, or jumping to Mars? The new exhibition at the Pavilhão do Conhecimento - Centro Ciência Viva, "Missão Espaço", invites you to embark on an exciting space adventure.

We'll experience space training with our feet on the ground. Like real astronauts, we practise our balance and stamina. Once in Space, we drive a lunar rover and simulate walking on the Moon. On board the International Space Station (ISS), we float through the Columbus module and discover how to eat and sleep in microgravity.

Are you ready for this mission? 3, 2, 1: Launch!

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Did you know that it takes at least four years of training to become an astronaut? Anything can happen in space. Daily rehearsals include spacewalks underwater, in the Soyuz simulator or in virtual environments. Now it's your turn... come and train for a trip to space!

Are we ready to go? The journey to the International Space Station takes about six hours. In addition to astronauts, seven space tourists have already visited the ISS. It's an expensive trip, costing tens of millions of dollars. But the Pavilion of Knowledge is only a visit away. We invite you to watch a rocket launch!

Drinking out of a bag, sleeping on a wall, or exercising for three hours a day: microgravity affects almost everything you do on the ISS. Come and discover some of the objects that have travelled into space, such as a sleeping bag, a book and even... a toilet seat!

The return to Earth takes less than four hours. Parachutes, landing engines and shock absorbers under the seats ensure that the crew have as soft a landing as possible. Here are a few landing trivia.

“Missão Espaço”, at the biggest launch pad near you!

Until 7 April 2024

The ISS is the largest object ever built and placed in orbit around the Earth. It is an example of international cooperation between space agencies and will ensure the permanent presence of astronauts in space until 2030.

The Columbus module is one of the ISS's scientific laboratories and ESA's largest contributions to the International Space Station program. Outside the Pavilion you can visit a replica of this module, made by students from the Colégio dos Salesianos de Lisboa.

EXHIBIT

There's a toolbox floating in space. It was lost during a spacewalk in 1998.

DID YOU KNOW?

Spinoffs

From UV-protected sunglasses to freeze-dried and vacuum-packed food to cordless vacuum cleaners, spinoffs are used in every corner of the planet to make our everyday lives easier. At "Missão Espaço", visitors will find several space spin-offs on display.

What's national is "spatial"

Portuguese cork is also going into space! Cork protects spacecraft from the heat of re-entry into the Earth's atmosphere.