Arizonans can get a sense of what spaceflight is like at NASA's Destination Station exhibit at the Arizona Museum of Natural History in Mesa. The interactive exhibit reveals the inside of America's orbiting laboratory while educating visitors about the vast array of science and research being done in low-Earth orbit.

"This exhibit is a magnificent way for children, especially, to be able to imagine what it is like for astronauts living in space," said Kathy Eastman of the museum.

"It brings to life what many children dream about when they look at the stars."

The exhibit opening is a precursor to more NASA activities coming in 2013. Destination Station is NASA's International Space Station Program national awareness campaign, promoting station research and opportunities, educating communities about the people living and working on the station, and communicating the real and potential benefits for our everyday lives.

The exhibit is free with admission to the museum. NASA will be sponsoring many activities that will be open to the public at various locations in the Phoenix and Tucson areas Feb. 21 through March 3.

The space station is a multinational research facility and the largest spacecraft ever built.

It is an official U.S. National Laboratory where astronauts and scientists from around the world conduct experiments in fundamental life, physical, Earth and space science, as well as human health, technologies for space exploration and the improvement of life on Earth.