Aboard the Orion spacecraft, four astronauts take to the cosmos on a ten-day lunar expedition, with the objective of testing the readiness of crewed deep space exploration. Their mission marks NASA's first crewed mission to the moon in 50 years. Being launched into space and having the firsthand experience of witnessing the wonders the cosmos has to offer must be beyond words. Superlatives would simply fall short. In the words of Reid Wiseman, Artemis II's mission commander: "No matter how long we look at this, our brains are not processing this image in front of us. It is absolutely spectacular, surreal. I know there's no adjectives. I'm going to need to invent some new ones to describe what we are looking at out this window."
And you and I, dear reader, have this one thing in common. We look up at the moon and let such hopes of experiencing the skies beyond quietly pass. In our ordinary days, breathing inside a spacesuit, feeling weightlessness, capturing the moon through a window on an insufficient device, these remain realities we can only feel behind closed eyelids or vicariously through the people who actually go. But can one ever feel something of that grandeur a little closer to home?
For Filipinos, Pasay City is far closer than the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, and that is precisely where the Space and Time Cube Museum sits. It is an innovative space offering exhibitions of various kinds that immerse you in an otherworldly experience. Visitors can walk through LED tunnels that take them on a journey through space and time across different eras. The museum's ability to project three-dimensional visuals without the aid of 3D glasses makes it stand out. Step further in, and you find yourself on a seemingly infinite plane of galaxies inside the Wandering Planets exhibit.
Visuals of outer space aside, the museum also lets you feel something like the dreamlike experience of zero gravity and weightlessness. Exhibits such as the Upside Down Staircase and the Tilted Room use clever architecture to place visitors at angles that seem to defy gravity entirely.
As described by Operations Manager and Co-Owner Nikka Kelly Chang: "While we may not be the first globally, Space and Time Cube is pioneering immersive, multi-sensory experiences in the Philippines. We integrate cutting-edge technologies like cave holographic displays and advanced augmented reality, creating interactive exhibits that captivate visitors of all ages."The museum also promises continued improvement, with a vision to inspire imagination, learning, and discovery, making it a space where people of all ages can explore time, the cosmos, and beyond in a fun and meaningful way.
But if you are looking for something more familiar, there is always the Mind Museum. You may have visited as a young child on a school field trip, but the museum has continued to grow and surprise over the years. The Universe Gallery offers the opportunity to experience something of space's distinctive atmosphere, to sit with the absence of noise, the eerie yet oddly customary silence that exists beyond our planet. For even a few seconds, you can feel what the greatest astronauts have only ever come home to describe in words.
Beyond the excitement of feeling like an astronaut, A: Museum offers a different kind of encounter entirely. Black holes have long fascinated scientists and curious minds alike, and A: Museum hosts an installation that places you inside the magnetic pull of that phenomenon. Immersive spatial sound fills the room, further mimicking what most astronauts describe after a successful mission: the feeling of weightlessness, insignificance, and awe in the face of the universe's enormity.
At almost any museum, you can find an exhibit or interactive booth that offers a taste of the cosmic, an experience that reaches beyond the ordinary. You only need to be willing to follow your curiosity and close the distance toward it. Let go of the idea that these spaces are only for children. In every one of us lives a heart that looks up at the sky and cannot help but wonder what it would be like to be there.
Museums are only one type of destination that Gracy Fernandez covers in Peak Philippines, a comprehensive guide to the best food, recreational activities, and experiences the country has to offer. From the cosmos to the mountains, there will be something within its pages that speaks to you.
By Catherine Fangon