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THE PLANETS
The power of the planets is awesome, so it’s little wonder that these weird and wonderful worlds have mesmerised mankind throughout the ages.
From Earth, we’ve observed the cosmic ocean for thousands of years. When ancient astronomers first observed points of light appearing to move among the stars, they named them ‘planets’ (meaning ‘wanderers’). Comets with sparkling tails and meteors (or shooting stars) were also spotted falling from the sky.
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MARS
Mars, of course, remains one of the most fascinating planets. And we’re now destined to discover more than ever about the ‘red planet’ – forthcoming missions include trips by robotic craft in 2016 built here in the UK and being tested at the National Space Centre. Longer-term plans to establish a Martian base and journey to Titan are also scheduled, hopefully within the next 50 years. Life on Mars? The countdown has begun…
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THE NAKHLA METEORITE
The National Space Centre is home to a little piece of Mars! The Nakhla meteorite fell to Earth, from Mars, on the 28th of June, 1911, in the region of Alexandria, Egypt. The meteorite was witnessed by many individuals is said to have exploded in the upper atmosphere and to have fallen into the ground, the fragments burying themselves up to a meter in depth in some places.
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BARWELL METEORITE
This stony meteorite landed in Barwell, Leicestershire on Christmas Eve 1965. During the Barwell meteorite shower, fragments fell on the boot of a car, on a driveway, through a window, and into flowerbeds. Over 50 kilograms of meteorite were recovered netting meteorite hunters the equivalent of over £10,000.
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LEICESTER IN SPACE
The Japanese aerospace exploration agency’s Hayabusa spacecraft has landed on the Itokawa asteroid and left a sheet of aluminium containing people’s names, including hundreds of visitors who signed up here at the National Space Centre during 2002.
