Tag: ESA

Whizz Pop Bang Visits Starstruck at London’s Science Museum

Posted on | by Jo at Whizz Pop Bang | Leave a Comment on Whizz Pop Bang Visits Starstruck at London’s Science Museum

Calling all space fans! If your child dreams of exploring space, this brand-new immersive experience should be high on your family’s summer holiday list.

Credit: Smithsonian Institution & Fever

This summer, there’s an awesome new immersive experience at London’s Science Museum. Using virtual reality (VR) technology, ‘Starstruck’ takes you on a journey through the universe, exploring stars, black holes and galaxies.

Credit: Smithsonian Institution & Fever

Whizz Pop Bang went along for a sneak preview before the exhibition opened and we can confirm that it really is out of this world!

We also got to meet awesome ESA astronaut Meganne Christian and discuss black holes with Cambridge University’s astronomy professor and black hole expert Sera Markoff!

This amazing exhibition is running until September 2026 and tickets are on sale now from here.

Credit: Smithsonian Institution & Fever

Planning a trip to London this summer? If your family loves space, science and immersive experiences, Starstruck looks like a fantastic way to explore the universe together.

Book your tickets and prepare for an unforgettable journey among the stars.


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Whizz Pop Bang’s trip to Just So Festival was out of this world!

Posted on | by Jo at Whizz Pop Bang | Leave a Comment on Whizz Pop Bang’s trip to Just So Festival was out of this world!

Team Whizz Pop Bang spent a wild weekend meeting hundreds of scientists-in-training at Just So Festival 2023. Thank you so much to Just So Festival for having us back again – we absolutely love being a part of this incredible event.

This year, we brought Jonathan Scott from the European Space Agency (ESA) along to share his amazing knowledge of staying fit and healthy in space. Jon works in the Space Medicine Team at ESA and he used his expert skills to run an Astronaut Training Camp.

Jon brought a replica space suit along for Whizz Pop Bang fans to try on!

We were overwhelmed with the turn out for Jon’s talk and it was fantastic to see so many budding astronauts! A HUGE thank you to Jon, and to all of you who came and joined in the fun. We hope you picked up a thing or two about how astronauts stay fit and healthy on board the International Space Station.

We also ran The Whizz Pop Bang Discovery Den, where young scientists could explore their five senses in some super-fun hands-on experiments.

Children were invited to visit us in ‘The Future’ area in the woodland at Just So Festival and try five different activities linked to the senses.

  • FEEL IT: run your fingers through gloopy cornflour slime (find out how to try this at home here!)
  • SEE IT: trick your brain with optical illusions
  • HEAR IT: test how well sound travels through solids compared to through air using clanger hangers
  • SMELL IT: put your sense of smell to the test
  • TASTE IT: find out how holding your nose affects flavours

They learned some amazing facts, including:

We hope to see lots of you at Just So Festival in future!


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Listen to our exclusive interview with ESA astronaut Tim Peake!

Posted on | by Rachael Tapping | Leave a Comment on Listen to our exclusive interview with ESA astronaut Tim Peake!

How lucky are we to get not one, but two interviews with ESA astronaut Tim Peake!!!!! Our editor Tammy chatted to Tim on the phone, asking him lots of probing questions from curious Whizz Pop Bang readers (see the list of questions below).

Listen to the full interview, complete with NASA footage and photos here 👇🏾

Enjoy space-lovers!

The questions Whizz Pop Bang readers asked Tim:

  1. What did it feel like taking off in a rocket?
  2. Do your ears pop during take-off like they do on a plane?
  3. How long does it take to get into space?
  4. How long does it take to actually get to the space station?
  5. Do you have to stay put in the capsule for the whole journey? And what happens if you need the loo?
  6. What does it feel like to be weightless?
  7. What’s it like seeing Earth from space?
  8. Does seeing Earth make you feel differently about the fragility of the environment?
  9. What was your scariest moment in space?
  10. Is it cold on a spacewalk?
  11. Why does the Soyuz craft look so black and battered now?
  12. Did it hurt when you landed?
  13. What was it like coming back to Earth?
  14. What do you miss most when you’re in space?
  15. Where would you most like to travel to in space?
  16. Do you think flights to Mars will ever happen?
  17. Do you think we will ever find extra-terrestrial life?
  18. What advice do you have for budding space scientists?

Photo and video credits Tim Peake, NASA, ESA, Victor Zelentsov and Scott Kelly.


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