• The Space Vault Exhibition is one of the UK’s largest private collections of space artefacts.

• Objects include the mission checklists that saved the crew of Apollo 13, Lunar dust and a rare Soviet space suit.

• A programme of events will run alongside the exhibition, including rocket labs, space-themed cinema screenings and a stellar space day.

An exhibition of one of the UK’s largest private collections of space artefacts from human space exploration opens at Thinktank, Birmingham Science Museum on Saturday 14 June 2025.

The Space Vault Exhibition contains rare and historic objects brought back to Earth from the lunar surface, low-Earth orbit and outer space, from NASA’s Apollo missions and the Soviet space era, to the American and Russian space shuttle programmes, International Space Station and SpaceX.

The exhibition brings together 12 curated stories of human space exploration ‘above the Earth and to the Moon’ via immersive visuals and unique artefacts.

Highlights on display include the mission checklists that saved the crew of Apollo 13 when its oxygen tank exploded, Commander Dave Scott’s spacesuit umbilical cord through which he communicated his first words as he stepped onto the surface of the Moon, Lunar dust from the Hadley Rille landing site of Apollo 15, material from the Apollo 11 command module, a rare Soviet pressure suit and part of the nose cone of the first Starship to reach space.

There will also be a programme of space-related events running alongside the exhibition throughout the summer holidays and beyond.

Visitors are invited to put their engineering skills to the test with the Rocket Lab sessions (Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 21 July to 29 August) by designing, building and launching their own paper rocket, or the Lunar Engineering Challenge (Monday to Sunday from 21 July to 31 August), using Imagination Playground blocks to design and construct your very own moonbase.

On Stellar Space Day (21 August) visitors can take part in lunar LEGO workshops, space-themed junk modelling and night sky finger painting. They may even have an encounter with the Roswells, a friendly alien family who have decided to come on holiday to Earth.

The programme also includes space-themed cinema screenings and, from September onwards, a series of evening animated expert talks and special opportunities for visitors to explore the artefacts close up.

General entry to the Space Vault Exhibition is included in the admission price for Thinktank, Birmingham Science Museum.
 

Zak Mensah and Sara Wajid, co-chief executives of Birmingham Museums, said:

“We are excited to welcome The Space Vault Exhibition to Thinktank, Birmingham Science Museum.

“This unique exhibition offers our visitors an unparalleled opportunity to experience the awe-inspiring past, present and future of human space exploration.”

Dr Michael Warner, director of The Space Vault Exhibition, said:

“I am delighted that Thinktank, Birmingham Science Museum is hosting the Space Vault Exhibition, providing an exciting opportunity for visitors of all ages to explore these thrilling artefacts.”

For details of Thinktank, Birmingham Science Museum opening times, admission prices and to book tickets, visit the Thinktank website.