Leicester experts to deliver ground-breaking space mission experience

Experts from Space Park Leicester will reveal what it is like to fly around the Earth’s magnetic field at an exclusive evening of science, comedy, arts and discovery in London next month.

Members of the University of Leicester’s £100m space research and innovation centre will use augmented reality to show people what it is like to fly around Earth’s magnetosphere at Royal Society Lates – 2075: A Space Odyssey. The presenting team is involved in the Leicester-led Soft X-ray Imager (SXI) on the Solar wind Magnetosphere Ionosphere Link Explorer (SMILE), which will launch next year, and also in the design of the Elfen mission concept. 

The ticketed event, on Tuesday, October 7, at The Royal Society London will be held during World Space Week and follows the publication of the Royal Society’s Space: 2075 report which explores the next 50 years of space exploration.

Dr Jenny Carter, of Space Park Leicester and the University of Leicester’s School of Physics and Astronomy, said: “We can’t wait for people to join us at this exciting event and imagine what life, space research and exploration could look like by 2075.

“We’re looking forward to introducing visitors to the Elfen mission that we’ve been involved in which is seeking to understand the impact solar wind has on the dayside of the Earth’s magnetosphere.

“We’ll also show people how another mission we’ve played a part in – SMILE – is furthering our understanding of space weather by studying the interaction of the solar wind with the Earth’s magnetosphere and ionosphere.

“And we’ll show visitors our Planeterrella which is an amazing polar simulator that recreates the Northern Lights in miniature.”

Visitors will also discover how microgravity may provide conditions perfect for developing life-saving drugs, immerse themselves in a newly established Mars colony through interactive theatre and can lose themselves in space-themed anthems courtesy of the Soundtracks DJs, the Ready Singer One choir and singer-songwriter Molly Barnes.