Philly's Franklin Institute will soon open huge, permanent 2-story 'Space' exhibit

Matthew Korfhage, USA TODAY NETWORK
Updated ·3 min read
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The Franklin Institute is going to space.

Not literally, of course. But the famed Philadelphia science museum, site of school trips for generations of kids from Bucks County to Delaware, is undergoing a complete overhaul for its upcoming 200-year anniversary next year.

And starting Nov. 4, the museum will be home to a new and permanent space exploration exhibit called "Wondrous Space."

The exhibit, billed as an "an immersive, awe-inspiring journey through the marvels of space exploration," will be the first of six new permanent exhibits at the Franklin Institute in advance of its 2024 bicentennial.

Renderings from design company MDSX for the upcoming "Wondrous Space" Exhibit at Philadelphia's Franklin Institute. The two-story exhibit, devoted to space exploration, will become a new permanent exhibit at the museum starting November 4, 2023.
Renderings from design company MDSX for the upcoming "Wondrous Space" Exhibit at Philadelphia's Franklin Institute. The two-story exhibit, devoted to space exploration, will become a new permanent exhibit at the museum starting November 4, 2023.

The $8.5 million permanent exhibit will be augmented with some premium space artifacts as it opens Nov. 4, including two rovers on loan from Carnegie Mellon University, and a 10-foot-long rocket engine from Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex.

What's in store for visitors to the Franklin Museum this fall, and next year? Here's what we know.

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What will be included at the Franklin Museum's new 'Wondrous Space' exhibit in 2023?

Renderings from design company MDSX for the upcoming "Wondrous Space" Exhibit at Philadelphia's Franklin Institute. The two-story exhibit, devoted to space exploration, will become a new permanent exhibit at the museum starting November 4, 2023.
Renderings from design company MDSX for the upcoming "Wondrous Space" Exhibit at Philadelphia's Franklin Institute. The two-story exhibit, devoted to space exploration, will become a new permanent exhibit at the museum starting November 4, 2023.

Space stuff, of course. But also, the exhibit will double a sort of theme park for outer space exploration.

The two-story, 7,500-square-foot exhibit will include immersive "experiences" designed by a team led by Dan Picard of design firm MDSX, known for its work at Disney World, Sea World and the Kennedy Space Center. The science expertise came courtesy of Franklin's chief astronomer, Derrick Pitts.

The museum promises visitors will be "transported" to space through simulations that allow them to virtually travel across vast distances and "control the forces of nature." Other exhibits focus on future of space technology and exploration.

In addition to the rovers and rocket engines on loan, the museum also will have additional artifacts on loan from places like Kennedy Space Center, "space bread" inventor Hope Hersh, and Boeing, which sponsored the exhibit to the tune of $3 million.

With the help of design company AMETEK Inc., which designed the thermal controls for the mars rover, the exhibit also will offer an interactive station that lets guests design and test exploratory rovers.

What else is planned for the Franklin Institute renovation in 2024?

In a September release, museum staff said a total of six new exhibits would be installed. And 12 would go away.

The new exhibits will cover "space, the human body, earth systems, the built environment, advanced machines and robotics, and computer science." According to press materials, the new exhibits would likewise be "future-focused" and large in scale, and will "push the boundaries of traditional science center exhibits."

So things are going to be a little bit different at the popular centuries-old institution.

Will they be removing the big papier-mache Giant Heart?

In 2020, The Franklin Instituted completed a renovation of its popular beating human heart exhibit that visitors can walk through to explore its interior chambers. (Credit: Courtesy of the Franklin Institute)
In 2020, The Franklin Instituted completed a renovation of its popular beating human heart exhibit that visitors can walk through to explore its interior chambers. (Credit: Courtesy of the Franklin Institute)

No worries, the heart will stay. The museum is taking pains to keep its most iconic exhibits, and this will include both the charmingly retro ― and oddly compelling ― papier-mache Giant Heart, and the Baldwin locomotive that's been housed in the museum since 1933.

However, the museum has not yet released a full accounting of what will stay and what will go.

Are there other space-related things happening at the Franklin Museum in 2023?

Glad you asked! A whole bunch of stuff, unsurprisingly. As of Sept. 12, the museum's chief astronomer Pitts has begun a podcast called "The Curious Cosmos with Derrick Pitts" (9/12). The museum will also host an eclipse viewing party on Oct. 12. When the museum opens its Wondrous Space exhibit on Nov. 4, guests will also be treated to a touring Mars art installation by artist Luke Jerram, and the reopening of the "refreshed" Holt & Miller Observatory.

Matthew Korfhage is a USA Today Network reporter in the broader Philadelphia region, covering culture, food, equity, science and why the trains don't run on time. Email him at mkorfhage@gannett.com or follow him on the site formerly known as Twitter @matthewkorfhage.

This article originally appeared on Cherry Hill Courier-Post: Philadelphia's Franklin Institute will open 2-story 'Space' exhibit