HYDERABAD: From time immemorial, humans have always been awed by the mystical nature of the sky. It was something that was beyond the grasp of earlier generations. While the endless infinite space is still beyond our reach, humans managed to crack the mystery of a small periphery of earth.

If you have a few millions of dollars in your bank account, you could buy a ticket to fly into space and return.

But what about the poor guys who are not so lucky? Well, they might as well head to Dubai for a seamless experience of space travel, courtesy of the ‘Museum of the Future’.

The museum, housed in an iconic torus-shaped building in the financial district, is a new landmark of Dubai. Conceived during the World Government Summit (WGS) in 2015, the museum was inaugurated in 2022. While most museums showcase what happened in the past, ‘Museum of the Future’, as the name denotes looks to the future and displays futuristic technologies that are likely to be in vogue by 2071.

The museum has seven floors dedicated to different exhibitions. While three floors focus on outer space resource development, ecosystems and bioengineering, health and wellbeing, the other floors showcase the near-future technologies that address challenges in other areas, including health, water, food, transportation and energy.

The visitors are transported to the year 2071. The individual hops on to a space shuttle that takes one to the Orbital Space Station Hope, on the fifth floor. On board the OSS Hope, the visitors will experience life in space (albeit without zero gravity) and look at how the future of space travel can help humanity with their most-pressing challenges.

The HEAL Institute is on the fourth floor. It sheds light on ecology and biodiversity in the future and allows visitors to focus on repairing, restoring and renewing life on Earth. The institute gives them a feeling of watching the natural healing process of the giant Hometree of ‘Avatar’ fame.

On the third floor, Al Waha (oasis), visitors can experience different therapies that connect deeply to their senses and stay grounded.

The museum’s second floor is designed on the concept of ‘Tomorrow, Today’. It aims to present solutions in response to the world's most urgent challenges and acts as an incubator and laboratory for global foresight. It features flying cars, humanoid robots, etc.

The first floor is about the Future Heroes, which is dedicated to the under 10-year olds. This space offers children interactive activities, hands-on play and reward-based challenges.

While it is unique in concept, ‘Museum of the Future’ also has an interesting feature. It brings together visitors from the entire world at one place. It is a virtual melting pot of human races. You can find someone or the other from every region, including Latin America, North America, Europe, Russia, Caucasus, Africa, west Asia, China, west Asia, southeast Asia, Oceania  and, of course,  the Indian Subcontinent, in the crowd.

Priced around Rs 3,500 per person, it appears value for money as it gives one a peek into the future, and most probably introduces us to all the races around the world within a few hours.-