Exploration Place Exhibit
Astronaut: Do You Have What It Takes?

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There are many exhibits that show you what astronauts go through while up in space, but have you ever been to one that gives you a closer hands-on glimpse? That’s the idea of the new traveling exhibit called Astronaut: Do You Have What It Takes? 

The museum at 300 N. McLean Boulevard opens their new space themed exhibit at 10 a.m. on Friday, Oct. 1. and will stay open through Jan. 2, 2022.

The beauty of The Astronaut exhibition is it brings a new level of interactive and hands-on experiences that explores the physical and mental challenges involved in space exploration and gives visitors a taste of what life is like outside of Earth and its atmosphere.

I stopped by to get a sneak peek at what to expect. When they mean hands on, they truly mean it. There were 26 hands-on and full-body exhibits that covered what it truly takes to become a space explorer. The end result for me was my true calling was better off being a third-rate blogger than a space traveling astronaut.

Many of the exhibits focused on teamwork to solve problems and trying to perform tasks and overcome challenges that astronauts face.

Some of the exhibits even covered what it was like to sleep, eat and shower in space. To be honest, the thought of using the toilet never crossed my mind until now. Imagine having to sit in a toilet like the one pictured below, making sure to hold yourself down in a weightless environment and properly positioning yourself to make sure all your natural bodily fluids get sucked into the toilet and not flying around. There was even a urine funnel to help astronauts pee as well….. things I never thought I’d blog about.

There was a cool little display that showed how astronauts get food in space as well as eat it.

One display showed how they slept upright, having to be strapped down with Velcro.

Then they had real astronauts explaining how they bathed. The picture below showed how someone washed their hair.

Other interactive displays let you spin around and experience levels of G-force while there was another that gave you an idea of what it felt like sitting in a rocket during take-off.

There was so much more that I didn’t even cover, but that should give you a basic idea of what to expect. It truly was one of the more interactive space exhibits I’ve seen. This would be a great one for people of all ages.

Admission to “Astronaut: Do You Have What It Takes?” is included in regular Exploration Place admission, which is $11.50 for adults 12-64, $10 for seniors 65+, $8 for youth 3-11 and free for children 2 and under.

Exploration Place is located at 300 N McLean Blvd, which is on the west side of the Arkansas River in the Delano neighborhood of Wichita. To learn more about their new Astronaut exhibit, visit their webpage or Facebook page.

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