With man's natural curiosity and a potentially endless, undiscovered universe waiting to be explored, it's no wonder that space appeals equally to both the scientist and the fantasist. The "Space Expo 2014" collaborative exhibition being hosted through Sept. 23 by U.S. space agency NASA and its Japanese counterpart JAXA at Chiba's Makuhari Messe gives you a chance to see up close huge replicas and indeed real pieces of space among images of stars and a universe unknown.
The first of two parts of the exhibition belongs to NASA and "The Human Adventure," charting the agency's history from its formation in 1958 until the 1970s launch of America's first space station, Skylab, via a carefully laid out, linear pathway. We start with "The Dreamers," a stylized room where portraits of Jules Verne, H.G. Wells and other famous sci-fi creators line the circular wall while biographies and examples of their work play on TV screens.
Next is a rivalry well represented in a small corridor where even the carpet is split between red and blue, with American novelties on one side, Russian on the other. With so much tension between America and Russia in the '60s, it's no wonder that the space race became a huge movement for propaganda. Impressive displays of newspaper clippings and videos playing speeches by then-President John F. Kennedy adorn the walls.