Called the “most ambitious new experience” since it was built in 1991, the Carnegie Science Center is set to open this weekend.
“Mars: the Next Giant Leap” opens to museum members on Friday and to the general public on Saturday.
It’s a 7,400 square-foot permanent exhibition that will explore seven experimental zones that will show how to inhabit and maintain a habitable climate on the red planet.
Learn how our understanding of Mars has solidified over time through Sci-Fi and pop culture as well as real-life exploration in View from Mars.
Uncover how climates produce the conditions for life to arise or perish by trying scenarios set to affect both Mars and Earth in Climatology.
Discover potential methods of growing food on Mars and how we might use these same methods to feed ourselves, ethically and sustainably, on Earth in Martian Garden.
Imagine what daily life on Mars might be like by exploring the living space of a future Martian resident in Martian Living.
See guests’ input on a Martian settlement come to life with physical and digital building models constructed regularly in Dream Big: Space.
Learn about the formative space exploration ecosystem in Pittsburgh, how Pittsburgh companies are contributing to future research, and about local space career opportunities in Pittsburgh in Mars.
Control a Martian rover, similar to ones on Mars’ surface, to seek out various signs of life and water in Search for Life.
Guidance from local students helped us realize that what makes space exploration relevant to our community is ultimately the same set of issues as those we face on Earth today,” said Jason Brown, Henry Buhl, Jr., Director of Carnegie Science Center. “As you walk through the exhibition, you will be challenged to ask questions about what makes a community thrive, how our lives are shaped by our environments, and how exploring Mars will impact life on Earth.”
The $4.44 million project will be a complement to the Buhl Planetarium.
“Above all, this exhibition demonstrates that space can be accessible to anyone who wants it. It takes more than rocket scientists to explore other planets. It takes artists and welders, marketers, and accountants. There is room for everyone,” Brown added.