Space, the final frontier.
How many of you grew up with that phrase burned in your mind? I was a big Trekkie growing up (the original and Next Generation, not so much Deep Space Nine or Voyageur). My husband and I have seen all the movies and we've slowly introduced our kids to the reboots. We were (I think,) more excited than our kids to visit The Canada Aviation and Space Museum exhibit of Star Trek: The Starfleet Academy Experience, which recently opened and is touring as part of Star Trek’s 50th Anniversary.
The exhibit uses the Star Trek franchise to teach visitors about science and technology and for geeks and fans of the tv shows and movies, the science is mixed in with memorabilia, (Tribbles!!). Set your phaser to Wow!
The Starfleet Academy Experience provides cadet recruits with an opportunity to experience a “career day” at the Academy. In an immersive environment, recruits try out a number of activities to test their potential to train for careers as Medical Officers, Science Officers, Communications specialists, even Commanders. As you walk through the exhibit, you can medically asses a Klingon in the sick bay, navigate the ship though a difficult patch of space, take part in phaser training and much more. Even if your kids are not familiar with the show or the movies, the activities are interactive and visual enough for them to enjoy.
The experience is enriched with the actual science behind the science fiction of Star Trek as the participants learn about emerging technologies such as a functional tricorder, NASA’s warp drive theory, and the latest experiments with phasers and teleporters.
The tour concludes on the Bridge where you have one final test (no spoilers) and can take your place (and a photo) sitting in Kirk/Picard's chair.
The exhibition, runs until September 5, 2016. Tickets are on sale online at joinstarfleetacademy.ca or can be purchased at the Canada Aviation and Space Museum box office.
