Exhibits on display at the Shanghai Science & Technology Museum Photos: Cai Xianmin/GT

Four days after the launch of the Chang'e-3 lunar probe, good news came that Chang'e-3 successfully entered lunar orbit on December 6. Chang'e-3 is carrying China's moon rover Yutu (Jade Rabbit), which is scheduled to roam the only natural satellite of the Earth on December 14.

While most of us will never have the chance to walk in the footsteps of Neil Armstrong or China's first taikonaut, Yang Liwei, there are places in Shanghai we can visit to learn about air and space, and even experience a simulation of flying or losing gravity. 

Shanghai Science & Technology Museum

Replicas of NASA's Saturn V rocket, China's CZ-3A and CZ-2F rockets, as well as the Shenzhou 5 spacecraft that completed China's first manned spaceflight mission in 2003 can all be found at the Space Navigation permanent exhibition at Shanghai Science & Technology Museum.

Occupying an area of 1,800 square meters on the third floor of the museum, the exhibition space not only showcases replicas of those historic spacecrafts, but also offers a range of interesting activities for visitors.

In the Planet Weighing room, your image is projected onto a screen simulating space, and by leaning your body in different directions, your image will tour around the solar system. Jump on to a planet to find out how much you weigh there. The varying gravitational force of attraction on each planet means your weight differs depending on the planet.

The Tetraxon Balancer program invites visitors to sit in the middle of three rings which randomly rotate to mimic the conditions of astronauts during space flight. Meanwhile, in the Rotating Spacecraft test, visitors shoot at a rotating boat to experience the effects of Coriolis force, which changes the direction of your fire during the test.

The museum also has an IMAX dome theater, which screens space-themed films.

Admission: 60 yuan

Opening hours: 9 am to 5:15 pm. Closed on Mondays (except public holidays).

Add: 2000 Century Avenue

Tel: 6862-2000

Website: http://www.sstm.org.cn/

Shanghai Circuit

Home to the annual Formula 1 Chinese Grand Prix, the Shanghai Circuit now also boasts a vertical wind tunnel, which enables visitors to fly in midair without a plane or a parachute.

Vertical wind tunnels were initially built for spin testing model aircraft and parachutes, but have since been developed for recreational use to simulate the experience of sky diving.

The flight experience inside a vertical wind tunnel, which is powered by a number of fans revolving at extremely high speeds producing vertical winds that move upwards at 195 kilometers per hour, mimics the body flight experience during free fall.

Two minutes flying inside the vertical wind tunnel at Shanghai Circuit costs 280 yuan ($46.11), including a 45-minute training and warm-up exercise guided by a coach. The tunnel here is divided into two vertical levels, the lower level is 7 meters high and 4.2 meters in diameter, and the higher level is 8 meters high and 3.6 meters in diameter.

Flyers are recommended to stay relaxed to complete complex maneuvers such as spinning and being upside down.

Add: 2099 Yining Road

Tel: 6054-8326

Shanghai Aerospace Enthusiast's Center

Located in Xuhui district, Shanghai Aerospace Enthusiast's Center is, as the name suggests, a must-see for amateur astronomers.

The center boasts a 10,000-square-meter outdoor exhibition space, where real aircraft is on display, including both civil aviation planes and military jets. The 2,000-square-meter indoor exhibition space showcases the history of airplanes, explains flying principles and technologies, and houses two flight simulators.

During the simulated flight, visitors can choose from over 30,000 airports around the world and different air routes. The flight, covering take-off, navigation and landing, lasts for 10 minutes and is under the instruction of a licensed pilot all the way. The flight simulator costs 10 yuan.

Aviation fans can also watch 3D films and make aircraft models at the center.

Admission: 8 yuan

Add: 7900 Humin Road

Tel: 6480-6759

Website: http://www.shapc.org/

Shanghai Children's Museum

Established in 1996 and known as the country's first children's museum, Shanghai Children's Museum has a permanent space-themed exhibition area.

In the Space Theater, visitors can see an engine of a CZ-4 rocket, the parachute that helped to land China's fourth recoverable satellite, and a bow cap from China's first batch of recoverable satellites, which stayed in space for three days,

In the Lunar Hall, which features an uneven ground to mimic the surface of the moon, visitors will see a replica of a lunar landing module, and can participate in a range of activities, such as a simulation of jumping on the moon and a Q&A of lunar knowledge.

The venue is currently under renovation. The reopening date will be announced on its website.

Admission: Free

Add: 61 Songyuan Road

Tel: 6278-3130

Website: http://www.shetbwg.com/

Exhibits on display at the Shanghai Science & Technology Museum Photos: Cai Xianmin/GT

Air and space museums that offer online visual tours

Air and Space Museum at Beijing University of Aeronautics & Astronautics, Beijing

airandspacemuseum.buaa.edu.cn

National Naval Aviation Museum, Florida

http://www.navalaviationmuseum.org/

Virginia Air & Space Center, Virginia

http://www.vasc.org/