3-2-1-blast-off – to your next destination!

 

Attention Star Trek followers – in fact anyone who’s fascinated by outer space – do we have a destination for you! Te Awamutu Space Centre (it opened 3 years ago but is only just now being discovered by Earthlings) is one of the more intriguing destinations to head for – and what’s on offer has to be seen to be believed.

Situated in Te Awamutu’s satellite (excuse the pun!) settlement of Kihikihi (5 Whitmore St), it’s an enthralling combo of space museum-come-education centre, and caters for groups as well as individuals (just be sure to check opening hours before you land). A perfect place to while away a couple of hours, you can be sure kids will love it as much as adults so if you’re looking for a birthday gift with a difference, ask about the special birthday party sessions the centre provides.

The man behind the centre is space enthusiast and astronomer Dave Owen (aka ‘Space Dave’). Well known for his informative night-sky contributions to the newspaper, he’s been an avid collector of space memorabilia since childhood which might explain the impressive line-up of artefacts on display. According to Dave there’s a fine line between displaying the real McCoy and displaying a replica. The real thing can be pricey to acquire, and then there’s the headache of caring for it (especially if it’s a space suit and visitors are being offered the opportunity to try it on). On the other hand, replicas just don’t hold the same appeal – especially for space fanatics! When you visit Te Awamutu Space Centre, you can be sure you’ll be gazing at the real thing.

What’s absolutely genuine is the Soviet space headset – a communications helmet worn as part of the space suit first introduced in 1973 and still worn by Russian astronauts today. You can also get up close to a sleeping bag used by Soviet cosmonauts (and, yes, it does have arms built into it!), and even some Russian space food!

Space Shuttle devotees can gawp at a NASA flight suit, and for all those whose imaginations just don’t go as far as seeing themselves flying to the stars, there’s a genuine ground-based artefact that we can all aspire to wear: Following the disaster with Columbia, ground staff were widely employed as ‘Recovery Team’ personal, and part of the bonus was a white polo shirt embroidered with the flight motif of the time. Although we don’t know if you can buy a replica at the Space Centre’s retail outlet, why not enquire – it would make the best Christmas gift ever!

Jokes aside, though, this little centre packs a mighty punch. With audio-visual presentations, interactive displays and exploration activities (plus the opportunity to tune into real-time streaming from an international space station), it’s a day out you won’t forget. Let yourself be overtaken by the enthusiasm of the genius who set it up, then tighten your seat belt (or whatever it is they call them in rockets!) and count down to your own launch!

_{Images sourced from Te Awamutu Space Centre Facebook page.}