St George’s Square will be transformed into the Rosetta Satellite Space Mission to celebrate the satellite’s successful comet landing last year during this year’s edition of Science in the City.
To recreate the mission, the square in Valletta will house a life-sized satellite, a drone, a 20-metre rocket blast-off and 3D-printed rovers. Visitors will also get to walk through an installation that replicates a comet’s surface, which will also be set up in the square.
In its fourth year, the festival will be held all over the capital on September 25 from 6pm and is free. As part of the European Researchers’ Night, Science in the City coincides with various similar events all over Europe.
Speaking at the event’s launch yesterday, project coordinator Alex Felice said this year’s festival would see the city come to life in an attempt to once again raise awareness on the importance of science and research.
Science in the City is the right festival to experience anything from fun experiments and learning at the science fair to exploring research activities
“The main events of the night are the Rosetta installation at St George’s Square as well as the exhibition of research projects by the University of Malta, which is going to be held at the new parliament building,” he said.
During the launch, Prof. Felice called for improvements to the science policy and said he hoped the festival would help showcase the significance of research in science and possibly even expose more people to the research being carried out by the university’s research trust (RIDT).
“Science in the City is the right festival to experience anything from fun experiments and learning at the science fair to exploring research activities.”
Other events throughout the evening include buskers in Republic Street, an exhibition on the Neolithic period, car racing, underwater projections, health checks and various street performances all over Valletta.
At Teatru Rjal, visitors can watch Cine Xjenza, a series of short films on manipulating memory and across the street, at Palazzo Ferreria, they can take part in science debates. Activities designed specifically for children will be held at St James Cavalier.
The festival is a collaborative effort between researchers, academics and performers. As in previous editions, various students’ organisations will be taking part and this year, more than 150 students are involved.
More information will be available in the coming days on www.scienceinthecity.org.mt.