Getting Lost & Discovered in Space • Space Explorers: THE INFINITE Comes to the Midland Center

Strap on your seat belts.  The new year will be blasting off at Midland Center for the Arts on January 25^th as they prepare to launch visitors into the deepest regions of outer space with an exclusive Midwest engagement of Space Explorers: The INFINITE, an immersive and all-encompassing transformative adventure utilizing state-of-the-art technology that literally allows visitors to roam freely inside the International Space Station (ISS). Visitors in the experience have the until now unprecedented opportunity to experience what it really looks like to be in space.

Conceived in partnership with NASA, this immersive experience allows visitors to spend 60-minutes exploring the astronauts' living quarters and daily work routines and admiring the breathtaking sights of Earth that only a few have ever seen before – all without ever leaving the ground. Visitors can embark on this journey in outer space on their own or paired with family or friends, but either way, each person’s experience is self-directed and unique – you explore what interests you most and marvel at your own pace at the vast wonder of space.

According to Jon Loos, Midland Center for the Arts CEO, “It’s mind blowing. Without ever leaving the floor, you feel part of something immensely bigger than yourself. It’s a hard concept to grasp, but to help people understand, there are currently approximately 8.1 billion people in the world and 200,000 people are born every day, yet only 644 people have actually gone into space.  While this experience doesn’t actually make you one of those 600+ people who have blasted off, it does allow you to actually see and feel the awe that what those astronauts have experienced.”

“Space Explorers: The Infinite” is an experience – it’s not an exhibit or a show.” he continues. “With this experience when you explore you get sensations that aren’t just visual. You move and explore the space station at your own pace, finding the areas of greatest interest to you.  You can hear the astronauts talk back and forth and learn about their studies, feeling as if you are right alongside them.  Perhaps you go left and your friend goes right.  One of you may peer out the window to see the earth below and the other may join the astronauts in a moment of space silliness with a food fight.  It’s your personal experience and everybody’s journey is different.”

As visitors wander through the virtual ISS wearing their special space helmets, they have witness some 60 different encounters, including floating in the cosmos with the astronauts outside the space station looking down on the vastness of Earth. Other experiences include watching the astronauts’ daily activities like getting haircuts, playing ball, or drinking their liquid rations.  Key to the uniqueness of the experiences is visitors’ complete freedom within the exhibit, wandering and interacting as they choose —whether it’s stepping into the astronauts’ world through interactive moments or simply soaking in the views and witnessing life in space as it unfolds around them. Since there are a multitude of engaging experiences, visitors can come multiple times and have entirely unique experiences each time they visit.

Set inside the Midland Center’s Museum, the experience is an extension of the Emmy-award winning series Space Explorers, The ISS Experience, the largest ever production filmed in space. Shot over a period of three years, using 360-degree cameras on the ISS to document the life and work of the astronauts living in orbit, the project also included recording the world’s first spacewalk with VR cameras.

The recording process was complex because the astronauts had to balance their work all the while acting as their own film crew and the subject of the documentary, with the team supporting them from Earth. Additionally, filming the first ever VR spacewalk required building a camera capable of operating in the vacuum of space on a spacecraft flying at 17,500 miles per hour.

“All astronauts who have gone to space have expressed how profoundly transformative the experience was. We believe that cinematic VR is the perfect medium to transport millions of people to outer space and allow them to experience what crews encounter during their missions. This approach was completely unprecedented.”, explains Félix Lajeunesse, co-founder of Félix and Paul Studios and Chief Creative Officer of Space Explorers: THE INFINITE.

“It’s important to note that this is not a 3D replica of the space station,“ reflects Loos when explaining the mechanics of the experience, “it is an exploration of the actual ISS.”

“The 360-degree camera Felix and Paul developed has multiple heads and lenses in every direction, so they were able to capture footage directly from the space station and then stitch it together. When you put on your helmet your journey begins.  You can walk into space or walk through the station.  Interactive portals activated by glowing orbs that you touch allow you to lean in and experience various scenes of daily life the astronauts are living.  You can wander alone or with friends, as your group of guests all appear as the same color avatar once you are in your helmet.  You can look at the outside or walk through these interactive portals and see everybody as an avatar in your headset.”

Since its world premiere in Montreal, this experience has dazzled audiences in Houston, Charlotte, Denver and West Palm Beach, attracting nearly 500,000 visitors to date, and Loos says the Center is thrilled to be hosting the exclusive Midwest engagement.

When asked how Midland Center was able to secure the exclusive rights to this groundbreaking exploratory extravaganza, he relates how the opportunity presented itself. “I’ve been in this business for over three decades, so when offered the opportunity to lead the helm as CEO at the Center I knew that I had to do some exploration and research to find new opportunities to put Midland on the map of national attention once again, even though it’s been on that map many times in the past.”

“A few years ago, I took a trip to Montreal and learned about a joint venture between Felix & Paul Studios, an Emmy award-winning immersive entertainment studio dedicated to producing innovative augmented and mixed reality experiences, and PHI Studio, which creates and markets large-scale immersive projects. The two companies joined forces with NASA to create this new extended reality experience that creates a genuine and authentic connection to whatever the participant sees or feels around them.  What struck me about the visit was how inspirational it was.  When I finished, I was in awe of what I had seen and the perspective of looking down on earth from space was incredible.  I knew right away we needed to pursue this opportunity because that’s the whole point of our museum expansion – how do we find ways to really ignite imaginations and get people, especially kids, to feel like they can really do something amazing – like actually go to space.  That’s the kind of experience we want our region and our state’s residents to have.”

According to Loos, fifteen people will be allowed entry every fifteen minutes and 120 people can be involved in the experience for the duration of one hour. “Between noon and 8 PM there will be a rolling clock that will cycle every 15 minutes with new attendees, but at any given time up to 120 people can be involved in different sequences,” he explains.

In addition to general admission, Space Explorers: THE INFINITE offers field trip opportunities for grades 3-12. Thanks to generous underwriting from Spence Brothers, Huntington, Arbury Insurance Agency - A HUB International Company, and Covenant Healthcare, student tickets are available for just $5, making this an accessible experience for students across the region. Details are available at www.midlandcenter.org/InfiniteEDU.

The Midland engagement of Space Explorers: THE INFINITE is sponsored by Members First Credit Union, MBS International Airport, and DuPont (who provide technology for NASA, including Ultra-thin DuPont™ Kapton® Polyimide Films to keep the Webb Telescope cool so that it can function properly in space). 

Space Explorers: THE INFINITE will be happening at Midland Center for the Arts from January 25 - February 23, 2025.  Tickets start at $35 for Adults; $30 for Youth (ages 13 - 17) and $25 for Children (8 – 12).  For tickets and more detail visit www.midlandcenter.org/TheInfinite.