Become a space professional in the Our Journey in Space exhibition

We are journeying through space on the best spaceship that ever existed: planet Earth. Our goal is to keep our ship in good condition and protect it from external threats. We also want to use the features and resources of our ship as sensibly as possible. How can we protect life on Earth and sustain it for as long as possible? Space activities are an important part of the solution.

Our Journey in Space is an activity-based science centre exhibition for visitors of all ages. The exhibition provides an overview of current space activities and the plans that will most likely be realised in the following three decades.

Exhibition visitors enter a future space station in Earth’s orbit, where they become space professionals through narrative missions and games. Visitors can protect our planet and explore the universe as members of six different teams of space professionals: Protectors of Earth, Research pioneers, Masters of negotiation, Wellness creators, Technologists, and Seers of the future. At the end of their visit, visitors can pose for a photograph as a space professional in the team of their choice.

In the world of the exhibition, mankind has returned to the Moon, using its resources and conducting research there. The exhibition also allows you to embark on an imaginary trip to Mars and experience the difficulties of the trip in a fast-paced group game.

The missions of the exhibition also involve deflecting asteroids, clearing out space debris, presenting a weather report, designing a space probe, building a space station, practicing piloting a lunar rover, and pondering ethical questions related to space activities.

• “Surprisingly, space activities are part of everyone’s daily lives. We are constantly connected to space through the satellites orbiting Earth, and many of the functions and systems of our society depend on them. And you don’t need to be a space pilot to work with space. Almost all space activities and space exploration are connected to Earth, understanding its development and safeguarding its habitability. Even the most far-reaching research on the universe gives us insight into the history and future of Earth. The same activities also provide information on whether life could be found outside Earth as well,” says Sami Pihkala, the project manager of the exhibition.

Our Journey in Space is the first space-themed exhibition produced by Heureka. The exhibition was created in collaboration with Finnish and international space technology and research experts, as well as companies and organisations in the field. The exhibition sponsors include the Union of Professional Engineers in Finland, Linde Gas, and the Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority in Finland (STUK). The exhibition opens on Saturday 10 February 2024 and will be on display at Heureka until January 2026.

Living Worlds – new planetarium movie

The space exhibition is complemented by Heureka’s newest planetarium movie Living Worlds, which is also space themed. The movie explores how Earth and the life on it have evolved together, and how life has shaped Earth’s surface and climate over billions of years. We often wonder what kind of other life could exist in our solar system and beyond. The movie Living Worlds reverses that perspective and explains how a deeper understanding of our own planet can help us search for life in other corners of space, and how we could cooperate with this living world to ensure our own survival in the future as well.

More information:
Sami Pihkala, Exhibition Project Manager, tel. +358 40 9015 367, sami.pihkala@heureka.fi