Exhibition on China's First Manned Space Mission starts Saturday

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An exhibition devoted to China's First Manned Space Mission will be on display at the Hong Kong Science Museum from this Saturday, November 1, until Tuesday, November 4, a spokesman for the museum announced today (October 28).

On display will be the re-entry capsule of the Shenzhou-5 spacecraft, the spacecraft's landing parachute, the astronaut's spacesuit, samples of meals taken in space and models of rockets and spacecraft.

Admission is free but tickets (limited to two per person) must be obtained in advance.

Tickets will be distributed on a first-come-first-served basis beginning at 6am tomorrow (October 29) at the following 18 venues:

* Hong Kong Cultural Centre Auditoria Building Box Office (10 Salisbury Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon);

* Hong Kong Coliseum Box Office (9 Cheong Wan Road, Hung Hom, Kowloon);

* Ngau Chi Wan Civic Centre Box Office (2/F, 11 Clearwater Bay Road, Kowloon);

* Queen Elizabeth Stadium Box Office (18 Oi Kwan Road, Wan Chai, Hong Kong);

* Hong Kong City Hall Box Office (Edinburgh Place, Central, Hong Kong);

* Sheung Wan Civic Centre Box Office (345 Queen's Road Central, Sheung Wan, Hong Kong);

* Sai Wan Ho Civic Centre Box Office (111 Shau Kei Wan Road, Hong Kong);

* Hong Kong Film Archive (50 Lei King Road, Sai Wan Ho, Hong Kong);

* Ko Shan Theatre Box Office (77 Ko Shan Road, Hung Hom, Kowloon);

* Hong Kong Science Museum Box Office (2 Science Museum Road, Tsim Sha Tsui East, Kowloon);

* Hong Kong Space Museum Box Office (10 Salisbury Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon);

* Sha Tin Town Hall Box Office (1 Yuen Wo Road, Sha Tin);

* Tsuen Wan Town Hall Box Office (72 Tai Ho Road, Tsuen Wan);

* Tuen Mun Town Hall Box Office (3 Tuen Hi Road, Tuen Mun);

* Kwai Tsing Theatre Box Office (12 Hing Ning Road, Kwai Chung);

* Tai Po Civic Centre Box Office (12 On Pong Road, Tai Po);

* North District Town Hall Box Office (2 Lung Wan Street, Sheung Shui); and

* Yuen Long Theatre Box Office (9 Tai Yuk Road, Yuen Long).

All the above box offices will operate from 6am to 9.30pm on October 29. From October 30 to November 4, they will open at 10am.

The Leisure and Cultural Service Department's Museum Passes and Weekly Pass are not valid for this special exhibition.

Opening hours of the exhibition are as follows:

* November 1 (Saturday): from 10.30am to 12 midnight;

* November 2 and 3 (Sunday and Monday): from 6am to 12 midnight; and

* November 4 (Tuesday): from 6am to 3pm.

Each ticket is good for a half-hour visit. Visitors must pick a time slot when they collect their tickets.

Some tickets will be distributed to schools and non-profit organisations on a first-come-first-served basis. Each group will be offered 20 to 50 tickets. Please download an application form from http://hk.science.museum/cfmsm/regist.pdf or http://hk.science.museum/cfmsm/regist.rtf and send the completed form by fax to 2311 2248 or 2367 5459, or by email to science@lcsd.gov.hk.

The exhibition Wildlife Photographer of the Year, currently being staged at the Science Museum, will closed from today until November 6 to allow for the staging of the space exhibition. It will reopen on November 7.

The space exhibition is presented by the Home Affairs Bureau, the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and China Manned Space Engineering Headquarters. It is organised by the Hong Kong Science Museum of the Leisure and Cultural Services Department, the China Manned Space Engineering Office and China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, in association with the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology, the Chinese Academy of Space Technology, the Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology, the Beijing Space Medicine & Medical Engineering Research Institute and China Aerospace International Holdings Limited. It is sponsored by the Hong Kong Jockey Club.

The Science Museum is located at 2 Science Museum Road, Tsim Sha Tsui East, Kowloon.

For enquiries, please call 2732 3232. For details, please visit the Science Museum's website at http://hk.science.museum.

End/Tuesday, October 28, 2003

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