Interactive space exhibit unveiled at Peoria Riverfront Museum

PEORIA ( 25News Now ) - The Dome Planetarium's Space Exploration Gallery is now open at the Peoria Riverfront Museum.

The area that was once a lobby now houses historic items and interactive exhibits. Artifacts from the Apollo missions to the moon and meteorites from space are now on display, along with information about other planets and robotic space exploration.

Curator of Science and Planetarium Director Renae Kerrigan hopes the brand-new exhibit gives visitors a unique, up-close look at what lies beyond the stars. "I hope that people are inspired to learn more any time they visit the museum," Kerrigan said.

She believes the new interactive exhibits will be a more well-rounded educational experience.

"There are all sorts of ways that people learn," Kerrigan said. "Some people learn best by reading, some people learn best by watching a video, and some people need that physical touch to be able to make something real and to learn better. We do our best to try to provide all different ways of learning here at the museum."

The exhibit also features some personal belongings donated by Pekin astronaut Scott Altman , who flew on four space shuttle missions, including two to repair the Hubble Space Telescope.