Touring France in a motorhome October 12th Day forty six

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October 12^th day forty-six

What is there to do in Toulouse?

Space City at Toulouse is easy to get to - a half hour journey from the site we are at. There is a specific motorhome car park thirty metres from the museum entrance gates entry. A gated entry, some motorhomes have clearly stayed there overnight.

Bags are frisked on entry and I was politely asked to go back to the motorhome and deposit my small Swiss army knife there! Fair enough. When I returned, I walked to the head of the queue and was immediately ushered back through to where Mag was patiently waiting for me.

Space City is a great half day visit. The Mir space station is truly fascinating. They have the full sized ‘test training’ version. You quickly realise how ‘by the seat of your pants’ some space set ups are and how brave all astronauts are. Outside is a huge Ariadne rocket and the original airstream NASA astronaut bus. The iconic one. The one from the moon launches! Maybe you have to be a sixties kid to get the significance of it. Iconic! A work of art!

The Planetarium presentation is good but dated. Translator headphones are provided but I felt it missed out lots of newer information about our solar system. Everything, with fairness, is a little dated really. Some major updating is required – nothing about Hubble and very little about James Webb - but that doesn’t mean the place isn’t well worth a visit. Especially if you are a space geek! Good displays about rockets and a very interesting moon base exhibit. Some great insights into how we will set up a moon colony in the not-too-distant future.