GUEST POST Join British Astronaut Tim Peake in a Thrilling VR Space Mission – Right Here in Nottingham

This May Half-Term, Nottingham families can blast off on an unforgettable adventure – without even leaving the city!

Direct from the Science Museum, London, Space Descent VR lands at Lakeside Arts, Nottingham giving space enthusiasts aged 7+ the rare chance to join astronaut Tim Peake on a thrilling virtual journey back to Earth.

Strap in for a breath-taking 360° 3D ride inside a Soyuz spacecraft as it makes the dangerous 400km journey back to Earth from the International Space Station, slowing from a speed in orbit of 25,000km per hour to land safely in Kazakhstan.

Created by award-winning Alchemy VR for the Science Museum Group, Space Descent VR puts visitors inside the descent module of a Russian Soyuz spacecraft, guided by the UK’s first European Space Agency astronaut Tim Peake, for a first-person ride only experienced before by a tiny number of highly qualified astronauts. Developed with leading experts, including Major Peake himself, this 15-minutes virtual reality experience reaches an extraordinary level of realism – it is as close as you can get to space travel without a spacesuit!

The Space Descent VR experience has been developed by the Science Museum Group with support from Samsung, and the generous co-operation of Tim Peake and the European Space Agency. It forms part of the Science Museum Group’s mission to transform how visitors experience and learn about science and technology.

Lakeside Arts, part of the University of Nottingham, is proud to bring this innovative VR experience to the region – inspiring Nottingham’s future scientists, engineers, and adventurers with a world-class taste of space exploration.

Tim Peake said: “It really is breath-taking – […] visitors are going to experience something that truly is very close to the real thing!”

Space Descent VR is part of an exciting May Half-Term programme at Lakeside Arts between Saturday 24 May – Sunday 1 Jun 2025, including the return of the spectacular Luminarium by Architects of Air, brilliant children’s theatre shows and creative workshops for school-aged children.

Tickets for Space Descent VR are just £6 – a great day out for Nottingham adventurers and future astronauts!

More information and tickets are available now at lakesidearts.org.uk/MayHalfTerm