LAST CHANCE FOR A WHIRL ON THE ICE RINK

  Visitors to Newcastle’s Life Science Centre are making the most of the open-air ice rink before it closes this Sunday (23 February). From nervous novices to seasoned skaters, nearly 80,000 visitors have taken to the ice since it opened last November. Liz Dean, Trading and Operations Director at Life said: ““The ice rink has once again been hugely popular with lots of rosy cheeks and smiling skaters. And this half term, visitors are taking the opportunity to enjoy a full day out combining a skate with a visit inside the science centre.” As well as ice-skating, Life is offering a packed programme of activities for the whole family this half term including the ‘Ice Cube Luge’ workshops exploring friction and speed and the ‘Fire and Ice Duels’ which involve Science Explainers showcasing their favourite demos involving extremes of heat and cold. In Life’s Science Theatre, the ‘Rain or Shine show’, show explores the Great British weather. With the help of some willing audience volunteers, the 20-minute show answers questions like: What should you do when lightning strikes? What causes a rainbow? Is there any truth in the old adage ‘red sky at night, shepherd’s delight?’ Expect lovely colours, hair-raising experiments and a flaming tornado! Also new for February half term is ‘Back to the Moon for Good**’, a 25 minute show in Life’s planetarium about the Google Lunar XPRIZE. To win a team must land a robotic spacecraft on the Moon 40 years after the last moon landing, move 500 meters over the lunar surface, and send video, images and data back to Earth. The Centre’s latest 4D Motion Ride* adventure is Stargate SG 3000.  Riders on the adrenalin-fuelled 4D exploit will be taken on a journey to save the universe from the evil Queen, flying through exotic worlds in a battle to foil the evil monarch. Other activities on offer at Life include: ‘Inside DNA: A Genomic Revolution’, an exhibition investigating developments in the fast-moving field of human genomics; the Young Explorers’ Zone - an area designed especially for under 7s to explore science; the Curiosity Zone with its hands-on experiments and Our Origins, exploring the evolution of humans. A family ticket to skate and visit the Science Centre (2 adults and 2 children or 1 adult and 3 children) is £32.50.   For details of opening times and further prices, visit www.life.org.uk   *For safety reasons you have to be at least 1.2 metres (4 feet) in height to use the Motion Ride **A production of Google Lunar XPRIZE, created by NSC Creative.