The Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum’s “At Home in Space” exhibition lets visitors explore a full-scale mockup of the U.S. National Laboratory’s Destiny Laboratory from the International Space Station. The gallery combines interactive displays with artifacts including spaceflight coffee equipment, DNA-sequencing tools, the first 3D printer used in space, and exhibits connected to NASA’s Artemis missions.
One side of the module includes an interactive display featuring artifacts associated with crew equipment, including a coffee cup designed for use in microgravity environments.
“This is probably the best section in my mind because it has some fun content,” Levasseur said, highlighting the miniPCR biotechnology toolkit and MinION portable device. Both were flown to space for the first time to sequence DNA in orbit.
“My absolute favorite thing to do in this gallery is to answer the question of what does space smell like and what does the ISS smell like? There are little scented oils inside each gallery that people can smell,” she said.
Nearby, the gallery also displays the first 3D printer used in space. In 2014, Made In Space, now part of Redwire, and NASA flew printers that produced hundreds of objects, ranging from astronaut tools to repair parts for the space station.
Waiting for Artemis
At the end of the gallery, visitors can see an exhibit devoted to the Artemis I capsule, a spacecraft that flew to the Moon without astronauts in 2022. A scale model of Lockheed Martin’s Orion is serving as a placeholder until NASA hands the real spacecraft over to the Smithsonian Institution, which is expected later this year.
“This is, light flyer fabric. It went to the moon with Artemis II, so that’s also on display here,” Levasseur said as she concluded the tour.
National Air and Space Museum renovations
Renovations at the National Air and Space Museum have included exterior work, mechanical-system replacements, and other improvements. The first half of the museum reopened in 2022 with eight new or reimagined galleries, a Northrop Grumman Planetarium, a Museum Store, and a Mars Café.
The second stage is open. Five new galleries opened in 2025, with a further five opening on July 1.
The “At Home in Space” exhibition will be followed by “Modern Military Aviation,” which opens on November 11.
“With the opening of these final two galleries, the public will once again be able to visit the entire museum and learn from and engage with the nation’s world-class aerospace collection,” Chris Brown, the museum’s John and Adrian Mars director, said in a statement about the largest project.
Admission to all galleries at the National Air and Space Museum remains free, but visitors need a timed admission pass to enter the building.
Source: arstechnica.com