Up up and away; Above and Beyond is Scienceworks ultimate interactive flight exhibition that takes you on a journey into the beyond!

When: 9 June – 8 October 2018

Where: Scienceworks

Cost: under 3 FREE, members $6, non members $8-23

Many thanks to contributor Thuy On for attending on behalf of Meetoo and sharing her review.

For every child who’s ever wanted to be an astronaut, to soar to the hilltops like an eagle, or to create their own supersonic plane, this latest Scienceworks exhibition, Above and Beyond, will help them get that little bit closer to their dreams. Produced with Boeing, and developed in collaboration with NASA, this suitably high-tech display of human ingenuity and engineering is billed as the ultimate interactive flight show. Catered for both starry-eyed science nerd adults and for the little ones obsessed with their wooden aircraft, the exhibition showcases the many marvels of aerospace innovation, design and technology.

Structured through five themes flight and space travel – Up, Faster, Higher, Farther, and Smarter, Above and Beyond happily marries education and entertainment. Kids will learn things by stealth through interactive, hands-on exhibits that feature flight simulations, virtual reality and challenges that rely on design nous to streamline and to increase acceleration. The ten-year-old blasted away orbital debris in a video game, flapped her arms to try to keep up with the birds in triangular formation over valleys and designed her own supersonic fighter jet so she could race in a virtual high-speed competition. Elsewhere, snippets of real life fuselage of planes are on display, there’s a 180 degree immersive theatre show, a high-tech historical time line, lots of touch table information desks and a simulated space elevator ride. You can learn about the various modes of flight (from hot air balloons to gliders to rockets) and about the complex prerequisites of a trip to Mars (psychology, radiation and microgravity elements must be considered). 

This exhibition is very much a celebration of both historical space aviation design and practices as well as a window into the next round of innovation. As Buzz Lightyear himself would say: “To Infinity and Beyond!”

For more details and to book tickets visit museumsvictoria.com.au/scienceworks/whats-on/above-and-beyond/