Mars: The Next Giant Leap encourages visitors to imagine our future on a different planet, and to discover what is needed to make that future a reality on Earth. Throughout the 7,400-square-foot exhibit and its supporting programs, visitors explore how issues of sustainability, climate change, social justice, and equitable access to resources can shape humanity’s future. Ravenswood Studio was responsible for all of the exhibit’s scenic fabrication, mechanical interactives, 3D printing, graphic production, and installation.

One of the more challenging elements was the centerpiece, Dream Big: Space zone. Constructed out of steel, wood, and custom-carved and painted foam, this interactive landscape asks visitors to consider and weigh-in on decisions facing an imagined Martian settlement and to see the impact of their choices in digital and analog ways. Custom “plant pods” hang from the ceiling in the Martian Garden zone, along with a large globe of Mars, using NASA images.

In partnership with Leo Rover, Ravenswood Studio also developed the Search for Life zone interactive. Visitors control Martian rovers, similar to the ones currently on Mars’ surface, on foam-carved landscapes to learn about how scientists search for signs of life and water.