The Science and Industry Museum’s much-anticipated ‘universe-first’ experience that invites families on a thrilling mission across the solar system touches down this month.
Horrible Science: Cosmic Chaos will premiere in Manchester on Fri 13 Feb, running until Sun 3 Jan 2027 before touching down at the Science Museum in London.
Families are invited to blast off into the solar system and embark on a cosmic adventure guided by familiar characters from the BBC Horrible Science TV series.
There’ll be chances to walk in the shoes of astronauts and discover far-off worlds, dance on an alien disco planet and journey through the depths of space to uncover the secrets of our universe, answering questions like: What does a star smell like? How do astronauts eat, sleep, work and train their bodies? What really happens if you need the loo in space?
The new exhibition is packed full of surprising science, interactive experiments and playful challenges. See a space toilet used by astronauts on the Soyuz-Mir spacecraft, touch a real piece of the Moon that fell to Earth as a meteorite, test your balance on a moonquake and see if you can survive a black hole.
There’ll even be a chance to programme an interplanetary rover, experience the extreme temperature swings on Mercury, see how strong you are on different planets and be one of the first to see astronaut Tim Peake’s headset from his 2015 space mission, which will be on public display for the first time
Throughout the experience, familiar faces from BBC’s Horrible Science will be on hand to guide adventurers on their mission, and Dr Big Brain, the galaxy’s greatest evil genius, will be lurking, looking for new helpers to join in with his diabolical plans to conquer the solar system.
Developed by the Science and Industry Museum in collaboration with BBC Children’s and Education, Lion Television and Scholastic, Cosmic Chaos will be the first major exhibition to bring BBC’s Horrible Science to life on a grand scale. It will also showcase remarkable objects from the Science Museum Group’s world-class space collection, offering a rare chance to get up close to unusual items that reveal how humans have tried to understand our celestial surroundings.
Horrible Science: Cosmic Chaos opens Fri 13 Feb at the Science and Industry Museum. Tickets are £10 with family discounts available and under-threes going free. Book yours below.
Fri 13 Feb, The Science and Industry Museum, Liverpool Rd, Manchester, M3 4FP, FREE-£10
www.scienceandindustrymuseum.org.uk
- Words:
- Wolf McFarlane
- Published on:
- Fri 6 Feb 2026
