As part of Richmond’s first-ever Summer of Space, even the smallest explorers can get in on the action at Moon to Mars, an interactive STEAM exhibit at the Children’s Museum of Richmond. Geared toward kids ages birth to eight and their families, Moon to Mars fosters excitement about learning by transporting children to a world inspired by the current realities and the future dreams of space travel. It also highlights NASA’s revolutionary Artemis program to return astronauts to the Moon and, eventually, to Mars.
I brought my five- and three-year-old to the Children’s Museum on a recent Tuesday morning to check out the exhibit. We were in store for an out-of-this-world experience – spacesuits not required!
Ready for Blast Off at CMoR, Downtown!
When exploring Moon to Mars, the first attraction you’ll encounter is an interactive model of the Orion Spacecraft, a pod-shaped structure that beckons kids’ curiosity. Signage explains that the real Orion is designed to carry astronauts farther than we’ve ever explored before, including from Moon to Mars. With room inside for four to eight passengers, kids can team up for an exhilarating mission to space. Video playing on three large screens outfitted to look like windows displays a mix of footage – some that simulates looking out the window of a real spacecraft, and others that show actual recordings of shuttles blasting off into space.
The kids loved sitting inside the spacecraft and pretending they were blasting off to the moon. “We’re high in the air!” my five-year-old exclaimed to her younger brother. That was after she admonished me to sit down before we took off.
Exploring From Base Camp
The next room of the exhibit featured signage explaining that when astronauts embark on Artemis missions, they’ll set up a base camp on the south pole of the moon that will include a cabin, a rover, and a mobile home. We started by suiting up for our mission to space. Helmets emblazoned with the NASA logo were fun to try on and there were also bright blue NASA jumpsuits available for kids to take dressing up to the next level. After getting outfitted in their astronaut gear, my kids climbed aboard a model of the Lunar Rover for an imaginary ride across the moon’s crater-filled terrain.
Steps away from the Rover is Lunar Leaps, which consists of several dome-shaped surfaces to test out one’s bouncing and balancing skills. The experience is a kid-friendly simulation of walking on the moon with reduced gravity. I couldn’t help but try it myself; it was strangely satisfying to bounce on the soft gray bubbles.
The last attraction in the room was an elevated platform where kids could drop gray plastic balls down funnels and pipes or load them into buckets which could be hoisted up and down with a rope pulley. There was also an assortment of foam blocks, cylinders, and ramp pieces that kids could use to build their very own moon station.
From Standby to Launch at CMoR!
The final room of the exhibit housed my kids’ favorite activity: the Rocket Launch Station. My five-year-old had a great time building her own rocket using the paper template, kid scissors, and brightly colored masking tape to hold it all together. After assembling your rocket, you get to launch it! This involves pumping air to pressurize the rocket and then turning a lever to shoot it towards Earth, the Moon, or Mars (represented by large cutouts positioned at varying distances from the launch point).
This activity was the ultimate experience of learning through play. On our first attempt to launch our rocket, we forgot to turn the lever to the stand-by position before we started trying to build pressure. On our second attempt, the cone of our rocket blew off and the tube stayed on the launcher! (The takeaway: More masking tape was needed to secure the cone of the rocket to its tube.) It’s true what they say: The third time’s a charm. We finally had a successful rocket launch and reached Earth.
Missions Ongoing at CMoR Through August 13
While Moon to Mars is geared primarily toward young kids, it serves as a fun introduction to space for the entire family. It’s not uncommon to witness parents at the Rocket Launch Station tinkering with the builds or yelping in excitement when a rocket reaches its destination. With its interactive elements and hands-on fun, Moon to Mars is the perfect way for kids and their caregivers to have a blast while playing and learning.
Moon to Mars is a touring exhibition created by the Omaha Children’s Museum and designed with support from NASA’s Deep Space Exploration Systems at Johnson Space Center. The exhibit is on display at the Children’s Museum of Richmond’s Broad Street location through August 13 and is included with general admission.
Visit SummerofSpace.com for details on Moon to Mars and the other participating museum.
