Sandton, the Gateway to Space

Last year the venue hosted the Ice Age exhibition, a huge 3,000m² display of 45 life-sized moving animals and 12 different scenes that document the 27th Ice Age period and ran for seven weeks to 8 August, and in 2014, the massive 3,600m² Days of the Dinosaur exhibition was held at the Sandton Convention Centre for 31 days. It was the first and biggest interactive dinosaur exhibition of its kind in the country – featuring 45 life-sized dinosaurs in 12 scenes, as well as two skeletons and seven dinosaurs in the animatronic interactive area.

The Gateway to Space exhibition, organised by Media24’s Huisgenoot, YOU and Drum magazines, was assembled by the US Space & Rocket Centre, an official NASA Visitor Centre, and shipped in 20 containers from Budapest, Hungary, where it was last on display. It delivers an amazing space experience that includes a look inside the 15m life-size model of the Mir space station, a Sputnik 1 model, a full-size lunar rover model, an Apollo capsule design for future space exploration, a chance to touch the moon, and 55 other exciting space exhibits, such as a glimpse of a scale-model space toilet, and much more.

In South Africa, the Gateway to Space also features an exhibit that focuses on the South African space sector and highlights astronomy as well as space science and technology. The Department of Science and Technology, along with organisations such as the Hartebeesthoek Radio Astronomy Observatory, Southern African Large Telescope, SA National Space Agency, Square Kilometre Array Project (SKA), Cape Peninsula University of Technology and Denel Spaceteq, is exhibiting a collection of artefacts that depict success stories in this field. According to SA Techie blog, “… if you like space at all, you have to make time to see it.”

Pre-bookings by schools for Gateway to Space had reached 20,000 children before the exhibition opened. “We’re equipped to cope with the huge onslaught of eager visitors with tickets for specific staggered time slots for visitors to walk around the exhibition, ensuring smooth flow throughout the exhibition,” says Debra de Sousa, operations manager at Sandton Convention Centre. She adds that Sandton Convention Centre’s very close proximity to the Gautrain, to Sandton City and other leading malls and hotels, adds to the appeal for families making a full day or even a night out when visiting the exhibition.

For more information visit The Gateway to Space.