The Exploratorium's new summer exhibition opens today at Pier 15, with 50+ interactive exhibits on what it actually takes to live in space — plus a free-with-admission festival this weekend and a cheaper Thursday after-dark entry for adults.

"Life in Space" opened this morning at the Exploratorium — Pier 15, The Embarcadero, San Francisco — and runs through September 13. The exhibition puts 50-plus interactive exhibits and artworks across four named zones: "Can I Survive This?", "Oops—There Goes Gravity...", "Is Anyone Out There?", and "Should We, Would You?" That last room, which asks whether bringing humans to space is actually worth doing, gives the whole show some useful friction.

Regular admission is $39.95 adults, $29.95 for children ages 4–17, free for kids 3 and under. Hours are Tuesday–Saturday 10am–5pm and Sunday noon–5pm; members get the floor to themselves 10am–noon daily.

The opening-weekend move is the Life in Space Festival — Saturday, June 13 and Sunday, June 14, 11am–4:30pm each day — running inside the museum with added programming and included with standard admission. No extra ticket, no RSVP.

If you're going without kids, come back on a Thursday: the museum runs an After Dark session (18+, 6–10pm, $22.95) that's about $17 less than the adult daytime door and considerably less crowded.

Getting there: Embarcadero BART/Muni, then walk north along the waterfront about 10 minutes to Pier 15. Parking on the Embarcadero is metered and scarce on a Saturday; the Hills Plaza garage at 250 The Embarcadero is a workable backup, roughly a 7-minute walk.

If you only have two hours: Go straight to "Oops—There Goes Gravity..." first — that's where the body-science interactives are densest — and save "Should We, Would You?" for last. It's the slowest room and the best one.