UK’s Largest Space Exhibit in Henley: 300+ Artifacts Spanning 60 Years of Exploration

On 1st of July, 2024, the UK’s largest space exhibit has landed in the charming town of Henley-on-Thames. The Space Vault Exhibition, showcasing one of the nation’s most extensive private collections of space artifacts, has made its debut at the River and Rowing Museum. It followed a brief stint at the European Space Agency in Harwell. This exhibition, set to run until June 2025, offers visitors a unique opportunity to delve into the marvels of human space exploration.

An Unprecedented Collection

The Space Vault Exhibition features over 300 artifacts spanning more than six decades of space exploration. Curated from the private holdings of space enthusiast David C. Baker, who began his collection in the early 1980s, this assemblage represents a lifetime dedicated to preserving the legacy of humanity’s cosmic endeavors.

Highlights of the Exhibition

Visitors to the Space Vault can expect to see a variety of fascinating exhibits, including:

• Apollo Artifacts: from Apollo 11 landing plan to original mission checklists from NASA’s Apollo 13 mission (one of the most dramatic space missions in history).
• Lunar Dust Samples: probably, one of the most valuable things on display – moon dust collected in 1971 during the Apollo 15 mission.
• Spacecraft Components: we’re talking about the fragment from a SpaceX rocket that exploded in 2014, a panel from a Saturn V rocket, a piece of the Salyut 7 Soviet space station, and many more artifacts.
• Astronaut Memorabilia: also, you can find personal items belonging to astronauts, such as space suits and equipment. Notably, X-rays of Neil Armstrong’s space suit gloves reveal the intricate design that protected him during his historic Moon landing.

Interactive Experiences

The Space Vault Exhibition is designed to be more than just a static display. It includes interactive elements that engage visitors of all ages. Special talks and presentations by experts in the field of space exploration, including historians and engineers, will be held throughout the exhibition’s run.