NEW YORK — All systems are go for 7-year-old Rex Salomon and family.

“I got to go in there and I turned everything on,” Salomon said after testing out a space capsule with his mother.

Kids and parents alike visiting the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum Saturday got to experience hands-on exhibits from NASA.

“It’s a very educational kind of family trip,” said Rex Salomon's father, Paul Salomon. “He used the space capsule and he already has questions prepared for the astronaut.”

What You Need To Know

  • The Intrepid Museum kicked off its Kids Week exhibits featuring NASA

  • Programming includes live science demonstrations, hands-on activities and workshops

  • The exhibit also displays models of the Mars rover and Enterprise space shuttle

  • Kids Week at the Intrepid runs through Feb. 26
The museum kicked off its Kids Week event just in time for local schools entering midwinter recess. Last year’s event was held virtually. This week’s activities run through Feb. 26.

“We are so excited to welcome back our community here. It’s so important for everyone to feel safe and excited to be back on the ship,” said Elysia Segal, the Intrepid’s lead teaching artist. “We are welcoming everyone to explore all the fun things we got going on.”

Kids on hand at the NASA exhibits flexed their creative muscles at art tables, toured models of the Mars rover and Enterprise space shuttle, and experienced what it’s like to fly.

“I like the simulator, the ones you can pilot and go upside down. I also like the arts and crafts area,” said 8-year-old Alexandra Figueroa.

Throughout the day, the museum hosted live presentations by NASA Astronaut Victor Glover, Jr. and students got to ask those all-important burning questions.

“How do you go to the bathroom in space?” asked Rex Salomon, to the delight of the crowd.

"The same thing I say to those kids is what I try to do with my life, and I think the grownups need to hear it," said Glover. “Be resilient, be a life long learner, and the last one is be a good teammate."