CUTTING-EDGE science and top-notch technology will wow visitors when the Swindon Festival of Tomorrow returns at the end of the month.

Mammoth graveyards, space telescopes, rocket cars and robots are among the attractions for this year’s free-to-attend event at the Deanery CE Academy in Wichelstowe on February 25 and 26. Here’s what to expect:

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SPACE

Swindon plays a big part in the country’s space exploration as the UK Space Agency is based right here, so there will be lots of spectacular displays and fascinating talks about the final frontier.

The ExplorerDome Invisible Universe planetarium show will be celebrating the launch of the James Webb Telescope, which shot into space on Christmas Day and will map the far reaches of the universe.

Visitors will have the chance to get up close to breathtaking live projections from the surface of the Sun thanks to a large-scale installation developed by UK scientists, and there will be the chance to make space-inspired artworks to take home.

The Wonderstruck Rocket Show will look at the history and science of rockets, ranging from the discovery of black powder to the latest breakthroughs of SpaceX and others. Expect to see a full size and working rocket car, a working hybrid rocket motor, a working jet engine, and a huge fireball on display.

Plus, the Truth is Up There talk will see UK Space Agency expert Libby Jackson sharing real-life stories of space exploration from historic launches to modern missions on the International Space Station.

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EARTH

From the stars to the soil – the team of amateur fossil hunters and scientists behind the BBC One documentary, Attenborough and the Mammoth Graveyard will be talking about their incredible discovery.

Sally and Neville Hollingworth found preserved 200,000-year-old ice-age mammoth fossils at a quarry just 10 miles away from Swindon. The bones and a Neanderthal hand axe will be on display at the festival, along with a solar-powered motorsports car which raced across Australia.

Speaking of subterranean discoveries, festivalgoers will be able to meet a model of Boaty McBoatface, the underwater robot which explores the Antarctic oceans for the British Antarctic Survey. The famously-named vehicle is currently investigating the Thwaites glacier which is responsible for around four percent of global sea-level rise.

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ROBOTS

BBC Science in Action journalist Roland Pease and experts from the University of Bristol's School of Physics will explain how a robot dog is helping to map radiation levels at Chernobyl – and what this means for developing robotic systems in extreme environments.

The James Dyson Foundation will host robotics workshops and Swindon-based computer giant Intel will reveal the ‘Four Technological Superpowers that Change the World’ and chat to guests about how technology is advancing in PCs, smart devices, cars and even our homes.

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SCIENCE

Ian B Dunne is back by popular demand to wow visitors of all ages with his Magic Science After which blurs the line between science and magic.

Meanwhile, the Science Museum Group will give people a peek behind the scenes at the new National Collection Centre near Wroughton which is being stocked up with an amazing variety of artifacts from the museum’s enormous archive.

The festival is once again sponsored by the Swindon-based group UK Research and Innovation, which is behind many of the innovations featured as part of the festival. UKRI is the largest public funder of research and innovation in the UK. The team will be hosting a range of exhibits at a dedicated stand at the Deanery CE Academy.

Business West, Intel, City Fibre and the UK Space Agency are among the other supporters which have made the festival possible.

Book tickets at www.festivaloftomorrow.com to attend in person or visit the website on February 25 and 26 to experience some of the talks and exhibits virtually from home.