Closing May 12, 2008

The more we anticipate a destination, the longer the journey seems to stretch. Fifty years ago it could take days to travel across country in the family station wagon (roadside stops included) to reach Yosemite or Disneyland, with the excitement building with each state border. Even in our modern world, when these same trips are made in hours by air, there are still limitations to our traveling speed when interplanetary travel is the objective. Generally though, as enthusiasm for a journey builds with the wait, we find the arrival that much more exhilarating.

For centuries, our fascination with Mars and eager anticipation to one day reach it by travel has inspired countless theories about the possibility of it ever supporting life, its former topography, and its present relationship to our Earth.

In June 2003, the European Space Agency launched its unmanned spacecraft, the Mars Express,  towards the planet and then awaited an anxious six months for its landing. After reaching Mars, however, the wait became well worth the months-long (and in some ways, centuries-long) anticipation as the mission began supplying the world with stunning visual images of what the red planet looks like up close, in color, and in 3D. 

A New Perspective on Mars is a remarkable exhibit, complete with eighteen 10’ x 7’ photographs to be viewed with free 3-D glasses.  Designed by the German Aerospace Center, it guides visitors through mankind’s former theories and increasing knowledge of our galactic neighbor. In addition to the stunningly clear images from the European Space Agency’s unmanned spacecraft, the Mars Express, the exhibit will include four information arcs and address frequently asked questions including the possibility of life on Mars, the history of Mars exploration, and the prospect of eventual human travel to the planet.

Someone else’s travel photos have never been so fun.

This exhibition was organized by German Aerospace Center, DLR (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt) Cologne, Germany, and funded by The German Federal Ministry of Education and Research and the Ministry of Economics and Technology.

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