National Space Centre

The centre opened in 2001 next to the University of Leicester's space research department, which has built instruments for missions since the 1960s. Its defining feature is the Rocket Tower, a forty-two-metre hall clad in inflated ETFE pillows built to house two genuine rockets standing upright: a Blue Streak, the British ballistic missile turned satellite launcher cancelled in 1960, and a Thor Able. A Soyuz descent module that flew, a Gemini-era spacecraft and a full-size Beagle 2 model are on display. The Sir Patrick Moore Planetarium has a dome of about twelve metres and is the largest in Britain, running full-dome shows through the day. The centre also houses the National Space Academy and runs a mission control simulator for school groups.

What you actually see

• The Rocket Tower - two real rockets standing upright in a forty-two-metre hall.
• The Blue Streak - the cancelled British launcher, preserved intact.
• The planetarium - Britain's largest dome, at about twelve metres.
• The flown Soyuz module - a descent capsule that returned from orbit.

When to go

Year-round; it is indoors and busiest in school holidays and on wet weekends. Tickets are valid a year. Planetarium shows are included but seats are allocated on arrival and popular slots go first.

Honest expectations

It is pitched at families and school groups, so it is loud and crowded in term-time mornings and holidays. Adults wanting depth will find the labelling light. The planetarium seats fill early in the day.

Nearby

Leicester's Roman Jewry Wall and the King Richard III centre are in the city; Rutland Water lies east.