A journey into 2071: Dubai’s Museum of the Future discovers ‘Tomorrow’ in a spaceship

Dubai developed today’s future in a spaceship in its Museum of the Future.

Seeing the interiors, mirroring the beauty of the building’s stunning facade, reveals that the landmark’s title “most beautiful building on earth” has been well earned.

The  Museum of the Future is a landmark devoted to innovative and futuristic ideologies. Located in the Financial District of Dubai, UAE. The museum, with 23 floors, is dedicated to exploring the future of science, technology, and innovation.

It is a torus-shaped building with windows in the form of a poem about the future, written by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates and Ruler of Dubai. It was founded by the Dubai Future Foundation, and was officially opened on February 22, 2022, by the government of the United Arab Emirates

As a first-time visitor at the museum, my journey begins at the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Port where Aya, a digital resident of the Museum of the Future, shows up on a screen to welcome us to February 22, 2071, and prepare us for take-off to the OSS Hope station.

She is shown on a CreateLED LED display and greets visitors in Arabic or English with subtitles for both languages. When Aya’s presentation finishes on the ground floor after her welcome address, she then tells the lift to open the doors.

Inside the lift, we are then welcomed aboard by the spaceship, which is a replica of NASA’s 1981 space shuttle. During the 4.5-minute flight, I watched Dubai in 2071 through the windows of the space shuttle in a breathtaking scene gradually rising above the earth and landing in space.

After docking at the OSS Hope, I was ushered into the station’s command centre, where I had a full view of the moon and the broader galaxy, monitoring alarming phenomena and finding ways to overcome earth’s pressing issues.

My tour guide introduced me to the many functions of the station, including the Sol project, a global effort to power the earth using solar energy collected from space. Solar panels circling the moon absorb energy, which is then converted to laser beams of electric energy aimed towards a network of deflectors and satellites that beam the earth with microwave energy.

OSS Hope, named after the five pillars of sustainability, innovation, creativity, humanity, and hope, aims to give visitors hope about the future of Dubai and the world and make them optimistic about the unknown.

I was then guided to six missions that are seeking recruits, and visitors are encouraged to apply. Two portals, equipped with the latest interactive technologies, introduce myself and other visitors to each mission after we swipe a bracelet that was handed to them upon arrival.

Beyond presenting an architectural miracle and impressive technologies, the museum offers a stark reminder that the future starts with us.

The immersive experiences inspire people to take a hands-on approach towards change by zooming out into their future self.

From a space station to a laboratory and an oasis for mental wellness, visitors are reminded that humans are at the centre of any beautiful future; solving the existing critical challenges is our responsibility to create a prosperous future for our children.