wow² Space – Mensch und All

Description

What is needed for humans to live permanently on the Moon? Does the view from space help us better understand climate change? And how does one simulate a journey into space without ever leaving Earth? Answers to these and other questions will be provided on Saturday, October 31, and Sunday, November 1, 2026, at ETH Zurich. Under the title "Mensch und All," the public event wow² at ETH Zurich enters its second round. For two days, everything in the ETH main building revolves around the question of what we humans seek in space—and what space research brings to our lives on Earth. The free program combines science, technology, and society and is aimed at a broad audience, from children to teenagers to adults. Through talks, live podcasts, and debates, visitors will meet researchers and experts from various fields of space and spaceflight research, from Moon exploration to climate research to gravitational waves and life as an analog astronaut. Among the guests are, among others, analog astronaut Eleonore Poli, climate researcher Andreas Prein, planetary scientist Anna Mittelholz, former magician and current ETH innovation director Marco Tempest, and Thomas Zurbuchen, former science director of NASA. For those who prefer entertainment, "BLACK BOX" offers something special: satirist Patrick "Karpi" Karpiczenko and science communicator Mirko Bischofberger engage researchers in conversation and turn current studies into punchlines—somewhere between talk show and game show. In "Cook the Science," celebrity chef Markus Stöckli and physics professor Thomas Michaels demonstrate what happens when an ingredient that no one sees but every cook needs suddenly goes missing: gravity. A highlight for tech enthusiasts is the four-legged robot LunarLeaper: ETH Zurich Space and the Robotic Systems Lab are developing it to detect lava tunnels on the Moon in the future, potential habitats for a permanent Moon base. Visitors will see live how researchers train the robot to walk, climb, and jump. Exhibitions and demonstrations will also showcase current student projects, including the Mars rover CRATER, developed by a student club in just nine months. Tours and planetarium shows will take visitors on a journey through the universe, from the Semper Observatory in the center of Zurich to shows that make a total solar eclipse or the birth of a star visible. Even the youngest visitors will find plenty to enjoy at wow² Space: from programming a Magic Cube to analog missions on Earth, lectures and workshops invite children and teenagers to participate.

Highlights

• Talks and workshops on spaceflight
• Free admission
• Guests like analog astronaut Eleonore Poli and NASA science director Thomas Zurbuchen

General Information

On October 31 and November 1, 2026, the event "wow² Space – Mensch und All" will take place at ETH Zurich. It offers a diverse program with lectures, live podcasts, and interactive workshops aimed at a broad audience.

Location

Rämistrasse 101, 8092 Zürich ETH-Zentrum, Switzerland

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