![Experience MARS entrance](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/d1a1yw91/production/4b5e02b5f119754b6bffb80c6345596d9ebcd8eb-5383x3589.jpg?rect=0,281,5383,3028&w=3840&h=2160&q=95&fit=max&auto=format&width=3840)
![Experience MARS entrance](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/d1a1yw91/production/4b5e02b5f119754b6bffb80c6345596d9ebcd8eb-5383x3589.jpg?rect=0,281,5383,3028&w=3840&h=2160&q=95&fit=max&auto=format&width=3840)
Location Based Experience
Brand Experience
National Geographic Channel
Mars Experience
year
2017
capabilities
Project Development
Interactives
Media
LED Integration
Machinery Automation
Performer Flying
Show Control
Integration
Show Development & Production
Guest Journey
Design & Engineering
Art & Design
Environmental Design
Graphic Design & Branding
Event Production
Event Logistics & Permitting
Vendor Management
Technical Direction
Asset Coordination
Fabrication
Scenic
Videography & Photography
Production Management
Service & Support
National Geographic Channel wanted to promote its new mini-series, Mars, with an out-of-this-world experience that would take guests on a journey to the red planet. TAIT was tasked with launching brave Manhattanites into orbit, partnering with Civic Entertainment Group to build one of the year’s most talked-about experiences.
![Experience MARS guests in space suits posing for photo](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/d1a1yw91/production/dfa6b742162999251684d45a27602ce64fad863f-4360x2907.jpg?rect=0,228,4360,2453&w=3840&h=2160&q=95&fit=max&auto=format&width=3840)
Our mission was to construct a 6,000-square-foot space center in the heart of New York City, the launch point for an interplanetary trip to Mars. Guests moved through the interconnected domes, starting at Mission Control, where science-infused storytelling prepared them for the challenges of living on another planet.
![Aerial shot of Experience MARS in downtown NYC](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/d1a1yw91/production/07a55681b68258f9dd55da3a34045a698c94f658-5209x3473.jpg?w=3840&h=2560&q=95&fit=max&auto=format&width=3840)
![Blonde woman wearing VR headset and smiling](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/d1a1yw91/production/fb7b24577746a5fba5cded4d09c9fe28fd00925c-5760x3840.jpg?w=3840&h=2560&q=95&fit=max&auto=format&width=3840)
At the heart of the National Geographic Mars experience was our custom-built cable coaster VR ride, which simulated the sensations of spacecraft landing maneuvers – complete with swirls and thumps. And once they’d landed safely on the surface of Mars, visitors were challenged to perform tasks in a vacuum box simulator to gain a tactile understanding of working in space. To deepen the immersion, our interplanetary voyagers donned headsets and hopped on low-gravity treadmills.