The National Air and Space Museum’s “At Home in Space” exhibition gives visitors an interactive look at life and research aboard the International Space Station, including a full-scale mockup of the U.S. Destiny Laboratory, flown equipment, the first 3D printer used in space, and displays connected to NASA’s Artemis missions. The gallery also includes sensory exhibits, such as scented oils intended to answer the question of what space—and the ISS—smells like.
One side of the module contains an interactive display of artifacts associated with the crew’s equipment, including a coffee cup designed for use in microgravity.
“This is probably the best section in my mind because it has some fun content,” Levasseur said, pointing to the miniPCR biotech toolkit and MinION portable device. Both were flown to the space station for the first time to sequence DNA in space.
“My absolute favorite thing to do in this gallery is to answer the question of what does space smell like and what does the ISS smell like? There are little scented oils inside each gallery that people can smell,” she said.
Nearby, visitors can see the first 3D printer used in space. In 2014, Made In Space, now part of Redwire, and NASA flew printers that produced hundreds of objects, ranging from astronaut tools to repair parts for the space station.
Waiting for Artemis
At the end of the gallery, visitors can see an Artemis I capsule on display. The spacecraft flew to the Moon without astronauts in 2022. A scale model of Lockheed Martin’s Orion spacecraft is serving as a placeholder until NASA transfers the actual spacecraft to the Smithsonian Institution, which is expected later this year.
Levasseur also pointed out the light flyer fabric, saying that it went to the Moon with Artemis II and is also on display in the gallery.
A renovated museum
Renovations at the National Air and Space Museum included exterior work, mechanical-system replacements, and other improvements. The first half of the museum was scheduled to reopen in 2022 with eight new or reimagined galleries, a Northrop Grumman Planetarium, a Museum Store, and a Mars Café.
The second stage is open. Five new galleries opened in 2025, with a further five opening on July 1.
The “At Home in Space” exhibition is followed by “Modern Military Aviation,” which opens on November 11.
“With the opening of these final two galleries, the public will once again be able to visit the entire museum and learn from and engage with the nation’s world-class aerospace collection,” Chris Brown, the museum’s John and Adrian Mars director, said in a statement about the largest project.
Admission to all galleries at the National Air and Space Museum remains free, but visitors need a timed admission pass to enter the building.
Source: arstechnica.com
