Avaruus 2007 is a interesting space exhibition that will celebrate 50 years of spaceflight and 20 years of Finnish space activities with a view to the tourist flights to space and exploration missions in the future. The exhibition will take place at the special exhibitions hall of the Finnish Aviation Museum November 11, 2007 – February 29, 2008 and it will be direct continuation to Avaruus 2001 and Avaruus 2003 exhibitions.

The exhibition will be divided in eight different parts. The first will tell the history of spaceflight with artifacts, clippings, models and audiovisual material. The first part will also look towards the future, because we're clearly now at the crossroads in space technology : private spaceflight is coming and institutional organizations are looking again further.

The second part will feature the highlights of the European space activity today: spacecraft models, interactive videos, panels and astronaut Christer Fuglesang as special guest during the opening weekend. As the Finns are practical people, the ESA part will have heavy weigh in Galileo and satellite navigation as well as GMES initiative with many Earth observation applications. On the scientific side coming small missions and bigger astronomy missions Planck and Herschel will be presented with up-to-date information from Mars, Venus and Titan.

Finland has been with ESA for 20 years, first as associated member and then full member, and the third part of the exhibition will tell about this success story. The main feature of this part will be parade of the Finnish space technology: all available engineering models or mockups of the Finnish space instruments and other items will be presented first time all together.

The fourth part will explain the basics of flying to space. How Ariane climbs to the orbit and what is the trajectory of the ballistic jumps to edge of space? The basic course of the orbital ballet of the different satellites and flying in vacuum will be provided, too.

The fifth part will continue and provide a hands-on experience of outer space - as closely as it is possible. There will be videos about the parabolic flights (with real aircraft flight deck and seats), a step-on shaker for feeling during the launch on the top of the launcher, a refrigerator to put your hand in for feeling the space-like cold and Sun-imitating heat radiated by infrared lamp inside the fridge and a space helmet with view and sounds of the spacewalking astronaut. The biggest space simulators will be also presented.

A vital subsection of this fifth part will be a planetarium and presentation of the space as astronomical world by the Astronomical association Ursa.

On the sixth part the visitors can try flying a simulator modified for flying in thin atmosphere of the Mars. There will be also stories about the wings in space; where you really need wings and where they are just decoration of the science fiction films. And how about ballooning or sailing in space?

The seventh part will focus on the space tourism. All possibilities and proposals presented, but the two main projects (SpaceShipTwo and EADS Astrium spaceplane) will be more thoroughly explained. As one of the main speakers will come from EADS Astrium, the new European project will highlight this part. We'll look forward, too: Do you want to book a room at the space hotel?

Finally on the eight part a whole wall of the hall will be filled with man-made space satellites, probes and other spacecraft to give an impression where we're going and how far to the space the humankind has reached during these 50 years.

The opening weekend (November 10 – 11, 2007) will spread the expo to the Helsinki city centre: the most waited presentations will be given at the big lecture hall of the University of Helsinki, just aside of the Senate square, the most central part of Helsinki. There will be activities at the museum during the weekend and the national amateur astronomy meeting Star Days will be also on the premises at the same time.

The main guests of the opening weekend will be astronaut Christer Fuglesang and chief technical officer Robert Lainé from EADS Astrium, a man who led the group developing the European space plane. They will be accompanied by national stars. All opening weekend activities will be free for the grand public.

During the four-month-exhibition, there will be approximately every second weekend lectures and special programme at the museum about the specific areas from historical reviews and technical presentations to kid's space weekend and flying the model rockets (as high as you can do near the international airport).

The National Aviation Museum is located near the Helsinki-Vantaa Airport, only 20 minutes from the Helsinki city center. The museum is easily accessible with car, public transport and - of course - by plane. More information about the museum is here. A map showing the location of the museum is here and a downloadable Google Earth placemark is here.

For more information pleace contact:
Mr. Jari Makinen, tel +358 40 550 9198, jari.makinen-A-T-kupla.com