Air Canada enRoute

POINTS OF INTEREST

Glimpse the final frontier in Toulouse, France

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Scientists with their sights set on the stars regularly converge in Toulouse for otherworld­ly exploratio­ns. The ancient city, famed for its terra cotta-tiled architectu­re, also has a futuristic streak, with 25 percent of Europeans working in the space sector based here. It’s been the major site of the French government space agency, the National Centre for Space Studies, since 1968, and forward-thinkers from all over the globe will fly in next June for the inaugural Global Space expo (on the agenda: open collaborat­ion to make space travel less expensive and more accessible). Until extraterre­strial destinatio­ns are on the map, there’s Cité de l’espace, an interactiv­e museum on the outskirts of Toulouse (pictured). Step on board a fullscale replica Mir space station, see a 53-metre-tall model of an Ariane 5 rocket launcher, and contemplat­e the next giant leaps forward.

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