When picturing a museum in the Bay Area, one tends to visualize an expansive and expensive gallery filled with compositions by critically acclaimed artists. They are generally housed in San Francisco where one needs to drive across the bridge and tend to the commodities of an astronomical admission fee, parking and lunch. The Space Station Museum, located in Novato, diverges from this typical path by providing visitors with a lens into space exploration through interactive exhibits, artifacts, models and photographs, all free of cost.

Tucked into the corner of the Pacheco Plaza shopping center, the museum utilizes two small rooms of retail space to display its artifacts. Even before I entered the main room, I could already sense the museum’s cozy and jovial vibe. A life-size astronaut stands on a pedestal outside, welcoming visitors into the exhibit. Mounted on the windows, a couple of stars shine brightly next to a poster of an astronaut waving in outer space.

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