If you could leave your family, friends, and familiar surroundings behind to risk your life on a three-year, round-trip voyage to Mars, would you go?

In the new Facing Mars exhibition at Liberty Science Center, you’ll have the chance to answer this question twice: once as you enter the exhibition and again as you exit with all the facts.

Facing Mars isn’t just about visiting another planet – it’s about determining whether we have the ingenuity to solve the challenges of deep space travel. Guests can experiment with 28 outstanding hands-on and full-body experiences. Guests will:

• fly over the Martian surface and see real hi-def satellite images of the Red Planet

• examine psychological profiles to build a flight team that won’t quarrel or mutiny

• see how to grow food in space (hope you love veggies!)

• try out a special harness and walking surface to experience Martian “low gravity,” where everyone can “take a giant leap” with each step

• see a rare Mars meteorite

• check out before and after photos of your face in microgravity

• learn that in space, there’s no 911. Could you handle any emergency that came up, from electrical problems to emergency surgery?

• take a whirl in the spinning chair then try to solve a simple puzzle

• try to perform simple manual tasks in a low air pressure environment

After enjoying this challenging and thought-provoking exhibition, guests have the chance to answer the question again – would they fly to Mars? Why or why not? They may find themselves considering the question more carefully!

Facing Mars was created by the Ontario Science Centre in consultation with leading experts in the field of space exploration.

For more information about Facing Mars, see facingmars.com.

About Liberty Science Center:

Dedicated to providing transformative experiences that connect schools and society with science and technology, Liberty Science Center is the New Jersey-New York City region's largest science education resource. Motivated by an innovative philosophy and enabled by a $109 million expansion and renewal, Liberty Science Center is bringing the excitement of science to students, educators, families and adults in engaging new ways and establishing a progressive benchmark for the science center field.

Liberty Science Center is located in Liberty State Park, Jersey City, NJ.