Grab your (virtual) ticket to space while you can. The Space Exhibition at Kerry County Museum in Tralee closes next Sunday afternoon and it's well worth a visit if you're not one of the lucky many who have been there since this summer.
A sample of moon rock, the real thing, holds centre stage in one section. Space suits and accessories, space food - both the frugal early offerings and the more varied diet now available - and videos galore offer a chance to imagine yourself transported to the outer reaches. And there's a glimpse of future possibilities from a bank of computers running programmes which allow you to travel wherever you wish around the planets.
The journey actually starts with a blastoff from Tralee, and progresses through all nine planets ending at Pluto, but you can skip to any planet you wish, go back and visit a planet again, or visit the moons of Jupiter or the rings of Saturn. It's very easy to do - you can zoom in and out with the help of a mouse and the keyboard arrows.
The exhibition was assembled with the help of both the European Space Agency (ESA) and the US National Aeronautical and Space Administration (NASA). It features all their main flights and programmes to date. The important contribution of the Russian programme is also covered.
The Irish space industry gets a section to itself. Several companies are described, notably Space Technology Ireland Limited which is headed by Professor Susan McKenna Lawlor of NUI-Maynooth.
The exhibition takes the story from the beginnings of astronomy. Exhibits are arranged in more or less chronological order, so you can retrace the history, if you wish.
It's all geared to school-children, but this adult learned a lot. The fee to visit the exhibition only is £2.75 for an adult and £1.75 for a child. An all-in ticket for the exhibition and the rest of the museum costs £5 for an adult and £2.75 for a child. The all-in ticket allows you to visit the recreation of Tralee in the Geraldine times, with little four-seater cars taking you around on the tour.
