On 24th April, Ecsite, the European Space Agency & Universcience were thrilled to welcome national space agency delegates from across Europe at Ecsite member organisation, la Cité des sciences et de l’industrie.

The welcome

Delegates were warmly welcomed by Ecsite President and President of Universcience, Bruno Maquart, who underscored the importance of collaboration between ESA, the national space agencies and science centres and museums in inspiring future generations’ interest in space science.

The exhibition

The Mission spatiale exhibition, a product of this collaboration, explores Europe’s role in space exploration through interactive exhibits while also peering into the future and posing questions about the possibilities of autonomous living in space.

We were given a tour by Curator Mark Read and as la Cité des sciences et de l’industrie opened to the public, we could see children eagerly flock to the exhibition, excited to play the role of astronaut for a day.

The collaboration

Following the exhibition tour, talks by Ecsite Director Catherine Franche, Head of Outreach Coordination of ESA, Maria Menendez, and ESAC Communication Office, Sandra Benitez Herrera highlighted 12 years of fruitful collaboration between Ecsite and ESA, showcasing effective communication of space science to the public with support science museums and centre, and, the important role national space agencies can play.

This collaboration was encapsulated by the presentation given by Hermínia Saraiva, Communications Officer at the Portuguese Space Agency. She presented the Up to Space exhibition which is now on display at Ecsite member Pavilhão do Conhecimento - Centro Ciência Viva.

Made with support from the European Space Agency, the exhibition, which encourages visitors to immerse themselves in the world of space exploration with rare original objects, engaging self-tests, and in-depth knowledge about the cosmos, had already traversed the continent through several other Ecsite member organisations, including:

• Universum® (Bremen, Germany)
• Musée de l'Air et de l'Espace (Le Bourget, France),
• La Caixa Foundation (Barcelona and Valencia, Spain)

and will carry on to Ciudad de las Artes y las Ciencias (Valencia, Spain) in May 2024.

The future

Ecsite looks forward to continuing such collaborations in the future, allowing us to foster a love for space science and engage the public in exciting new plans for Europe in space.