A special exhibition organized by NASA called "Space Adventure Exhibition" encompasses more than 200 artifacts over 50 years of space exploration, including life-size artifacts that have witnessed NASA space missions, that has hosted around 4 million visitors from 12 countries in approximately four years and was finally brought to Turkey's Gaziantep where it has become a particular attraction for children.

With the support of Gaziantep Metropolitan Municipality, the exhibition, which was opened on April 23 at Müzeyyen Erkul Science Center and can be visited free of charge for four months, provides the opportunity to experience space with virtual reality glasses (VR) areas enriched with interactive technologies.

The exhibition features special pieces from outer space and dozens of high-tech space instruments that allow visitors to experience life up there.

The exhibit features real moonstones, replicas of space rockets and full-size models of spacecraft, a 10-meter (32.8-feet) model of the Saturn V rocket, clothing worn by astronauts going into space and equipment used in missions, as well as models of the Apollo capsule, Sputnik 1 satellite, and the International Space Station.

The exhibition, which welcomed around 4 million visitors in 12 countries where it was opened, attracted great attention from the surrounding cities as well as Gaziantep. The exhibition, which is mainly visited by students and conveys space experience to more than 17,000 visitors since its opening, also gives young people a vision of space.

Science Center Manager Mehmet Köseceli told Anadolu Agency (AA) that the exhibition, which has attracted great interest in many parts of the world, was mainly visited by young people and they wanted to be inspired by space and aviation studies.

"We know that the investment made in young people will move countries forward. With the awareness that the main capital is human capital, NASA's exhibition is open to visitors free of charge and reservations can be made in this way."

Köseceli stated that they wanted the exhibition to be a popular, must-see destination.

"We have visitors from other cities, such as Adıyaman, Adana, Şanlıurfa, Hatay and Osmaniye," he said. "We are really happy about this. We think that the young people who will visit this exhibition will be able to produce more beautiful things than the ones here. Because when we look at it, the space and aviation activities that Turkey has done in the last period and the big projects it has produced in the field, show us that in the future, space will be an economic race phase and we think that Turkey will be one of the important actors."

Primary school student Ecrin Doğan expressed her amazement at the exhibitions and her dreams of being an astronaut.

"There were huge rockets in the exhibition and it was very interesting. I would want to be an astronaut when I grow up. It was very interesting. (They said), normally the originals (pieces) are very large. I was very surprised when I heard that. I learned a lot of information, I am very happy to visit this place."