Apollo 10, Soyuz capsule among artifacts moving to new space gallery in London

The spacesuit worn by the first Briton in space, the Russian capsule that brought Britain’s first professional astronaut back to Earth, and the only flown-to-the-moon Apollo command module to be on display outside of the United States will soon be on the move in the United Kingdom.

The Science Museum in London has announced it is closing its “Exploring Space” gallery, which for almost 40 years has shown tens of millions of people how “humanity has ventured into orbit, traveled to the moon and explored the solar system and beyond.” The gallery is undergoing a four-month phased shutdown, as its contents join other artifacts in the museum’s new “Space” gallery, opening later this year.

“Space ignites an interest in science and technology in many people, including me,” Libby Jackson, former head of space exploration for the UK Space Agency and newly named head of space at the Science Museum, said in a statement. “The Science Museum’s space gallery has been a touchstone through my life, from my earliest visits as a child and lunch breaks as an Imperial College student to celebrating Tim Peake‘s launch with thousands of school children and family visits.”

The public has until April 22 to see the Exploring Space gallery before parts of it are taken off display. Already, the Sokol spacesuit worn by the first British citizen to fly into space, Helen Sharman, has been removed to undergo conservation work ahead of its display in the new Space gallery. Sharman wore the garment for her 1991 mission to the Soviet/Russian space station Mir.