Marvel, the comic and movie giant, has teamed up with NASA, the National Academy of Sciences and Victory Hill Entertainment to bring you Marvel's Avengers S.T.A.T.I.O.N, a new interactive exhibit showcasing the history, tech and gear of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The exhibit opens up May 30 at the Discovery Times Square in New York City. Finally, a museum your girlfriend doesn't have to drag you to on a Sunday morning!
Guardians Of The Galaxy Is Going To Be Legendary
Think of S.T.A.T.I.O.N. (Scientific Training and Tactical Intelligence Operative Network) as the nerdiest haunted house you will ever experience. The site fills nearly the entire Discovery Times Square space, spanning over 10,000 feet across a labyrinth of futuristic looking rooms, complete with over 100 flat screen panels, dozens of touch interfaces, robotics, augmented reality visors and motion response applications, as well historical documents and other Marvel swag.
The Hulk's room is all about microscopes and how the gamma radiation affects Bruce Banner. With Thor, visitors will have access to a star map where they can locate Asgard and other notable exoplanets or stars. In Iron Man's room, you can get 'behind the wheel of the suit', as it were, and experience life through the eyes of Tony Stark. The museum has several mocked up 'JARVIS' visors, interactive screens that track your eye movement and test your reflexes, bringing you as close to Iron Man as you can. Sadly, there was no 'step inside and try the suit' portion.
The beauty of Discovery Times Square, whether it's through their Bodies exhibit, their Lego show or what have you, is that they make learning fun. The entirety of Marvel's Avengers S.T.A.T.I.O.N. doesn't feel like a cunning ploy to get children interested in STEM (Science Technology Engineering Mathematics), but that is precisely what it is. By wrapping all the math and science, by giving children a chance to actually touch and interact with the trappings of some of their favorite films is the single best way to Trojan Horse the idea that "science is cool". Science is cool. Science is the coolest damn thing in the world. In fact, the only thing cooler than science is The Avengers, so pairing the two up is an unbeatable combination. Your children cannot grow up to become agents of S.H.I.E.L.D, it's a fictional organization (no matter how convincing their museum and history are), but maybe, just maybe, they can dream up their own big ideas. Who knows? Maybe your kid will be responsible for making Iron Man's suit one day, and isn't being Iron Man's parents a bit like being Iron Man himself?
Marvel's Avengers S.T.A.T.I.O.N. opens today, May 30. You can buy tickets here. Your kids are going to love it. For that matter, so are you.
