The National Space Centre
The National Space Centre is one of the United Kingdom's leading visitor attractions that is devoted to space science and astronomy. It is located in the city of Leicester, England, next to the River Soar on the A6.
The building was designed by Nicholas Grimshaw, and it opened to the public on 30 June 2001. The rocket tower is 42 metres tall.
The centre arose from a partnership between the University of Leicester's Space Research Centre and local government agencies. The total construction cost was £52m, £26m of which came from a Millennium Commission grant, and the rest from private sector sponsors. It is run as an educational charity, and offers science workshops for school children of all ages.
The National Space Centre currently has post-doctoral science researchers based at the University of Leicester's Space Research Centre (SRC) and the University of Nottingham's Institute of Engineering Surveying and Space Geodesy (IESSG).
The Rocket Tower houses the large artefacts - but it's also a space age sensation in itself. At 42 metres high, the Tower is a landmark on the Leicester skyline. The futuristic, chrysalis-like structure was designed by London architect - Nicholas Grimshaw & Partners.
The transparent skin of the tower is made of Ethylene Tetrfluroethylene (ETFE). Three layers of ETFE are sandwiched between the steel girders and then inflated with air. Silver dots are printed on the ETFE to reflect away sunlight.
The front of the Rocket Tower can be 'unzipped' to get the rockets in and out. The ETFE skin can be detached and the bottom six girders removed, leaving a 'door' 21 metres high and 6 metres wide.
The Tower is heated by huge radiatiors, which look rather like solar panals. In summer, louvered vents open at the top to cool things down. The vents close themselves automatically at the first sign of rain.
The statue in the foreground is called "The Pioneer". It was unveiled on the 30th June 2011 to commemorate the first American space walk by Ed White on the 3rd June 1966. This space walk took place three months after Alexei Leonov had achieved the feat fo the Soviet Union. Ed White used a hand-held propulsion unit and a tether to move around outside the Gemini IV space capsule as it travelled around at 17,500 mph. He returned home a hero.
Eighteen months later he and his colleagues, Virgil 'Gus' Grissom and Roger Chaffee, died in a fire on the launch pad whilst training for the Apollo 1 mission.
Space is a difficult place to get to and a dangerous place to be. The National Space Centre salutes the bravery of the early pioneers and all those who have since travelled, lived and worked in space.
The Challenger Centre, on the right, offers unique team building simulated space missions for between 8 and 32 people.
First and foremost Challenger missions are a lot of fun. Although they are set in a context that is (literally) out of this world, many of the situations in which participants find themselves can be related back to real-life work environments. Challenger missions make great ice-breakers and can really level the playing field within a group. At the Challenger Centre, the benefits of working together towards a common purpose are highlighted.
Participants are first assigned roles in work teams, whose specific duties may be Medical, Navigation, Life Support or Probe Engineering. In order to accomplish their set goals the teams must all work together and communicate across the void between the two themed environments: Mission Control and Space Station. Missions are facilitated by two of the Centre's trained Flight Directors, who are also experienced educators.
Beyond the Space Centre to top of The Wolsey Tower can be seen which is a tall water tower.
It is situated on the narrow strip of land between the River Soar and the canal, to the North of Abbey Park. It is actually the Northern tip of the island known as Frog Island.
The tower was part of the hosiery works associated with the well-known Wolsey company.
The company took its name from Cardinal Wolsey, Henry VIII's Chancellor. In 1530, having failed to convince the Pope to annul Henry's marriage to Catherine of Aragon, he was summoned to London and died at the great Leicester Abbey, the present site of Abbey Park, and was buried there.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Space_Centre
venuehire.spacecentre.co.uk/team-building/challenger-lear...
The National Space Centre
The National Space Centre is one of the United Kingdom's leading visitor attractions that is devoted to space science and astronomy. It is located in the city of Leicester, England, next to the River Soar on the A6.
The building was designed by Nicholas Grimshaw, and it opened to the public on 30 June 2001. The rocket tower is 42 metres tall.
The centre arose from a partnership between the University of Leicester's Space Research Centre and local government agencies. The total construction cost was £52m, £26m of which came from a Millennium Commission grant, and the rest from private sector sponsors. It is run as an educational charity, and offers science workshops for school children of all ages.
The National Space Centre currently has post-doctoral science researchers based at the University of Leicester's Space Research Centre (SRC) and the University of Nottingham's Institute of Engineering Surveying and Space Geodesy (IESSG).
The Rocket Tower houses the large artefacts - but it's also a space age sensation in itself. At 42 metres high, the Tower is a landmark on the Leicester skyline. The futuristic, chrysalis-like structure was designed by London architect - Nicholas Grimshaw & Partners.
The transparent skin of the tower is made of Ethylene Tetrfluroethylene (ETFE). Three layers of ETFE are sandwiched between the steel girders and then inflated with air. Silver dots are printed on the ETFE to reflect away sunlight.
The front of the Rocket Tower can be 'unzipped' to get the rockets in and out. The ETFE skin can be detached and the bottom six girders removed, leaving a 'door' 21 metres high and 6 metres wide.
The Tower is heated by huge radiatiors, which look rather like solar panals. In summer, louvered vents open at the top to cool things down. The vents close themselves automatically at the first sign of rain.
The statue in the foreground is called "The Pioneer". It was unveiled on the 30th June 2011 to commemorate the first American space walk by Ed White on the 3rd June 1966. This space walk took place three months after Alexei Leonov had achieved the feat fo the Soviet Union. Ed White used a hand-held propulsion unit and a tether to move around outside the Gemini IV space capsule as it travelled around at 17,500 mph. He returned home a hero.
Eighteen months later he and his colleagues, Virgil 'Gus' Grissom and Roger Chaffee, died in a fire on the launch pad whilst training for the Apollo 1 mission.
Space is a difficult place to get to and a dangerous place to be. The National Space Centre salutes the bravery of the early pioneers and all those who have since travelled, lived and worked in space.
The Challenger Centre, on the right, offers unique team building simulated space missions for between 8 and 32 people.
First and foremost Challenger missions are a lot of fun. Although they are set in a context that is (literally) out of this world, many of the situations in which participants find themselves can be related back to real-life work environments. Challenger missions make great ice-breakers and can really level the playing field within a group. At the Challenger Centre, the benefits of working together towards a common purpose are highlighted.
Participants are first assigned roles in work teams, whose specific duties may be Medical, Navigation, Life Support or Probe Engineering. In order to accomplish their set goals the teams must all work together and communicate across the void between the two themed environments: Mission Control and Space Station. Missions are facilitated by two of the Centre's trained Flight Directors, who are also experienced educators.
Beyond the Space Centre to top of The Wolsey Tower can be seen which is a tall water tower.
It is situated on the narrow strip of land between the River Soar and the canal, to the North of Abbey Park. It is actually the Northern tip of the island known as Frog Island.
The tower was part of the hosiery works associated with the well-known Wolsey company.
The company took its name from Cardinal Wolsey, Henry VIII's Chancellor. In 1530, having failed to convince the Pope to annul Henry's marriage to Catherine of Aragon, he was summoned to London and died at the great Leicester Abbey, the present site of Abbey Park, and was buried there.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Space_Centre
venuehire.spacecentre.co.uk/team-building/challenger-lear...