No matter how you slice it, our culture simply does not care about exploration the way it used to. In the past, great explorers were celebrated heroes who earned a guaranteed place in elementary school history textbooks. Today, however, we struggle to name a single modern explorer, partly because it’s difficult to imagine what an explorer can do in a world where all of the easy stuff has been found.
If you want to get a sense for what an explorer does in 2014, check out National Geographic’s “Earth Explorers” exhibit at the Arizona Science Center, 600 East Washington Street. The interactive exhibit is designed to simulate the experience of exploration for visitors and features pieces on polar regions, oceans, rain forests, caves, and the African savanna.
The museum is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is $24, and tickets can be purchased at www.azscience.org.
Sept. 21-Nov. 26, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; Nov. 28-Dec. 24, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., 2014
