Museums are taking a cue from these inventive science fiction thinkers and are creating exhibits that imagine humans’ future in space beyond our little blue planet.
Two Pittsburgh institutions—the Carnegie Science Center and the Moonshot Museum—have opened exhibits about the future of human space exploration. These exhibits promote diversity in the space industry and inspire visitors to pursue careers in space technology. They help us create more equitable and fair societies.
Museums explore why space matters
When visitors enter the Moonshot Museum, they watch an introductory film highlighting that the Moon is not just a dead rock but an incredible natural resource. Private companies are going to the Moon to see if they can harvest valuable elements, protecting our precious Earth from environmentally hazardous mining operations.
The Carnegie Science Center’s Mars exhibit shows visitors how the knowledge and technology developed for space can be applied to challenges on Earth. For example, in the Mars garden, graphic panels explain that growing food on Mars will require solutions that support a lot of vegetation in a very limited space with very little water, such as the functional hydroponics and aeroponics systems on display.
Graphic panels make the connection to terrestrial issues. Despite Earth’s more abundant space and water, these solutions developed for life on Mars are just as valuable on our home planet.
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