A southern Vancouver Island museum invites you to explore the reaches of space with a new exhibition that’s landed through fall.
Sidney Museum has welcomed the travelling exhibit, Health in Space: Daring to Explore, a collaborative effort between the Canada Aviation and Space Museum and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) that offers a fascinating look at the intersection of space exploration and terrestrial medicine.
Health in Space showcases critical scientific and health experiments conducted in space and how they impact our understanding and approach to medicine back on Earth – explore the challenges and opportunities presented by space travel, including the effects of isolation, radiation and altered gravity on the human body.
A particularly compelling aspect of the exhibit showcases Canadian Space Agency’s work, specifically the disparity in the number of astronauts between CSA, with only four, and NASA, which boasts a roster of 47 astronauts.
“It really gives you a sense that CSA is working on a much more limited budget than NASA does,” noted Michael Goodchild, Executive Director, Sidney Museum & Archives. “But that in no way limits their ability to engage with the same concepts that other space agencies around the world are doing.”
Canadian astronaut David Saint-Jacques is prominently featured throughout the exhibit, showcasing his contributions to various experiments conducted in space and aboard the International Space Station since joining the CSA in 2009.
During his opening address, Goodchild emphasized that the museum has also made a concerted effort to connect the exhibit to the Saanich Peninsula, collaborating with BC Aviation Museum to showcase the region’s aviation history.
“We found that they have a lot of items and history related to the training and the health challenges that pilots face when working at RCF Bay back in the 1940s before it was known as Victoria International Airport,” Goodchild said.
A dedicated display will soon feature artefacts, safety and training equipment and uniforms from the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) dating back to the 1940s, all on loan from the BC Aviation Museum.
This partnership, Goodchild said, creates a “thematic link” between the challenges faced by early pilots and those encountered by astronauts in space.
Health in Space runs through Nov. 30 at Sidney Museum, L-3, 2423 Beacon Ave.
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