Rocket exhibit at National Space Centre pulls off unintentional NASA SLS impression

Offbeat Rocket exhibit at National Space Centre pulls off unintentional NASA SLS impression 5, 4, 3, 2, 1... pfft Richard Speed Richard Speed Published sat 30 May 2026 // 09:30 UTC BORK!BORK!BORK! The National Space Centre in England took things a little too far with its simulation of a rocket launch, unless it was seeking to recreate NASA's leaking Space Launch System (SLS) via a plastic bottle and some water. The Leicester-based museum features exhibits aplenty, including some rockets to gawp at, an intriguing parafoil-equipped Gemini capsule, a planetarium, and lots of interactive stations to educate and inform visitors about the space age. Some of those interactive exhibits can, however, be a little too realistic for comfort, such as a bottle rocket intended to illustrate the Space Race between the United States and the Soviet Union. REG AD It's a simple enough concept. Select a rocket type, learn some stuff about it, watch as a water bottle is pressurized, listen to the countdown, and then liftoff! It's an activity that kids - and adults - might have attempted in a garden or park. REG AD Things didn't go as planned at the National Space Centre, and was reminiscent of the repeated leaks NASA's SLS suffered during launch preparations. Where the exhibit's Soviet Union's bottle blasted off as expected, the American one did not. It spewed water from the base in an unintended recreation of NASA's initial attempts to fuel the SLS, before giving a pathetic twitch when the countdown reached zero. The National Space Centre exhibit Richard Speed Still, it could have been worse. Had the museum decided to recreate the failure of the Soviet Union's N1 Moon rocket, or Blue Origin's explosive test of its New Glenn this week, onlookers might have needed a change of clothes after a sudden, and very watery, boom. MORE CONTEXT Windows Firewall stands between you and greasy delight Windows update prompt joins the Post Office queue The latest innovation in UK public transport: Schrö