Cité de l'espace


The Cité de l'espace is a scientific discovery center focused on space and the conquest of space. It was opened in June 1997 and is located on the eastern outskirts of Toulouse, France., there had been more than 4 million visitors.

Exhibits and installations

One can visit full-scale models of the Ariane 5 rocket, Mir space station, and Soyuz modules. The original planetarium has 140 seats and presents shows throughout the day. Cité de l'Espace also has numerous exhibits, often interactive; for example, a mock-up of a control room near the model of Ariane 5, allows visitors to prepare the launching of a rocket, help with its flight and then place a satellite in orbit. Terr@dome presents the history of space from the Big-bang to the solar system. A building named Astralia, which opened in 2005, includes: a 280-seat planetarium, called the Stellarium, equipped with a hemispherical screen in area; a 300-seat IMAX cinema, which shows the film Hubble 3D ; and conference rooms.

History