Tim Peake’s spacecraft to land at museum
TIM PEAKE’S ICONIC SOYUZ CRAFT IS ABOUT TO GO ON DISPLAY AT MANCHESTER MUSEUM - SCORCH MARKS AND ALL!
SPACE fans will be able to catch a glimpse of Tim Peake’s spacecraft when it lands in Manchester.
The astronaut’s Soyuz capsule is coming to the city as part of a museum tour and families will be able to see it for free – scorch marks and all.
In June 2016, Major Peake returned to Earth in the Soyuz TMA-19M descent module. He had embarked on the Principia mission to the International Space Station the previous December and spent six months orbiting Earth.
Thanks to extraordinary leaps in communication technology, people across the globe watched as Major Peake broadcast live experiments, walks in space and even ‘ran’ the London Marathon... on a treadmill.
The Science Museum Group, which runs Manchester’s Museum of Science and Industry, has announced a partnership with Samsung.
It means visitors will have a once-ina-lifetime opportunity to get a close look at the historic spacecraft – complete with scorch marks from its re-entry through the atmosphere.
Museum director Sally MacDonald said: “The Soyuz is an iconic item, and I am very excited that the Museum of Science and Industry is part of this incredible tour.
“We know our visitors have followed Tim Peake’s adventures closely, and this will be a fantastic opportunity for them to see first-hand the capsule that was part of his important mission.
“Manchester is the home of industry and innovation. What could be a greater symbol of that than this important piece of the history of space travel?”
The capsule will go on display at the museum’s Great Western Warehouse from Saturday, March 10 until Sunday, May 13.
A learning programme has been created to coincide with the capsule visit, aimed at Key Stage 2 and 3 pupils.
If you don’t want to wait until the spacecraft arrives, the museum has an opportunity for families to join in some fun with a Space Descent VR With Tim Peake experience.
It lets visitors join narrator Tim for what promises to be an ‘out-of-this-world virtual reality mission’ that puts you in the pilot’s seat of the Soyuz capsule.
Using the latest state-of-the-art Samsung Gear VR technology, you’ll get a 360-degree look inside the capsule and experience the thrill of retracing Tim’s 400km journey as you land safely back on Earth.
Restricted to children age 13 plus, it costs £6 per person and is running daily from 10.30am to 4pm. Tickets can be booked online.