| Hong Kong Space Museum | |
|---|---|
| Established | 1980 |
| Location | 10 Salisbury Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon, Hong Kong |
| Type | Aerospace museum |
| Public transit access | Tsim Sha Tsui Station |
| Website | Official Website |
The Hong Kong Space Museum (Chinese: 香港太空館) is a museum of astronomy and space science in Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong. It is managed by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department of the Hong Kong Government.[1]
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The idea of a planetarium was originally proposed in 1961 by the Urban Council of Hong Kong. Ten years later, the Urban Services Department (USD) set up a working group to study overseas experience in establishing planetariums. The study was aimed at laying the groundwork for setting up the future Hong Kong Space Museum. The Hong Kong Government decided to build the museum at Tsim Sha Tsui and invited Mr. Joseph Liu to serve as Planetarium Advisor.
In 1974, The USD signed contract with the Carl Zeiss Company to purchase a planetarium and other equipment with a price of HK$3,050,000.
Its construction commenced in 1977 by Urban Council and was opened on 8 October 1980.
The museum has two wings: east wing and west wing. The former consists of the nucleus of the museum's planetarium, which has an egg-shaped dome structure. Beneath it are the Stanley Ho Space Theatre, the Hall of Space Science, workshops and offices. The west wing houses the Hall of Astronomy, the Lecture Hall, a gift shop and offices.
The planetarium's egg-shaped dome covers more than 8,000 square meters, making it a famous landmark in Hong Kong. It was the first local planetarium for the popularization of astronomy and space science.[2]
There is also a mockup of the nose and cockpit section of the Space Shuttle orbiter.
Hong Kong Space Museum has two thematic exhibition halls: the Hall of Space Science and the Hall of Astronomy on the ground and first floors respectively. The exhibits, predominantly interactive, enable visitors to learn through a series of entertaining and educational experiences.