Holding a MIRror up to Space

This exhibition presents the history and missions of the Mir space station during its 15-year life, against the backdrop of the space race during the Cold War. “Holding a MIRror up to Space” also aims to prompt reflection on the exchanges between science and science fiction, showing the contributions of space technology to everyday life and showcasing current and future missions for space exploration.

A life-size replica of the first Mir, created by MEDIAPRO Group for the film Sergio & Serguéi and loaned to the MNACTEC, allows visitors to discover the inside of the station and experience first-hand what life was like in the Mir space station.

In 1986, the Mir space station started to orbit Earth. Operated by the Soviet Union and then Russia, it was the first habitable space station and a test laboratory for scientific experiments and astronomy observation. It also broke records in terms of human permanence in space over the 15 years it was in orbit.

Inspired by one of the thousands of stories associated with this space station, the film Sergio & Serguéi (Ernesto Daranas, 2018) is set in the space station in 1991, during the collapse of the USSR, and portrays the relationship between Russian astronaut Sergei Asimov and a radio amateur Cuban professor who is observing the fall of the Communist bloc in dismay.  

Sections:

1. Astronautics and space on the big screen. The relationship between science and science-fiction.
2. Exploring the universe and space. The final frontier. History of the Mir.
3. Thanks to astronautics. How space technology has been applied to daily life.
4. Space: future of humanity. Current and future space missions.

Exhibition produced in collaboration with MEDIAPRO Group and Fundación Española para la Ciencia y la Tecnología - Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades. The European Space Agency has collaborated by providing images of space and educational videos of the International Space Station (ISS).