Space Research Centre @ The Big Bang Fair

Venue: NEC, Birmingham
Participants / Target Audience: School groups and families
Date: 15th to the 17th March
Duration: Three day event
Contact: Big Bang Fair Website

The Space Research Centre is showcasing space instrumentation it is developing for current missions supported by the UK Space Agency and the European Space Agency, whose joint stand we are privileged to be exhibiting on within the "Next Factor" zone.  We have three main areas on the stand:

i)  Infra Red space instrumentation (highlighting MIRI on the James Webb Space Telescope - dubbed as the successor to the Hubble Space Telescope)
ii) X-ray space instrumentation (highlighting the heritage of XMM Newton and the future of MIXS on Bepi-Bolombo - for exploration of Mercury)
ii) Planetary Exploration (highlighting EXOMars insitu analysis and the life marker chip - for exploration and search for life on Mars)

We have a range of activities associated with each of the three areas of the stand, respectively
a) exploring the infra red world using thermal and near infra red cameras - applications to the solar system
b) understanding how we get information using X-rays - applications to the solar system
c) how to make a comet demonstration; investigating the properties of meteorites (this is a joint resource between the Space Research Center and I-Science)

Working in collaboration with the Big Bang Fair careers stand we shall also be acting as a careers ambassadors for space research, offering advice to A level students.