In the quiet season before summer, a rocket taller than a house will rise in the South Australian Museum, not from a launch pad but from ordinary plastic bricks. The 7.5-metre NASA Space Launch System replica anchors CURIOSITY, a show that opens on 19 December 2026 and runs until 9 May 2027, made by Ryan 'Brickman' McNaught and his team. It reflects an old human habit: turning the tools of play into a way of understanding how we reach beyond the ground beneath us, and inviting people of every age to find that curiosity has always been a kind of building.
LEGO Exhibition CURIOSITY Opens at South Australian Museum, Featuring 7.5-Metre NASA Rocket Replica
"Education by stealth": a 7.5-metre rocket made of LEGO bricks
Mark
So what's actually going on here? A LEGO show at the museum?
Mimi
Yes, CURIOSITY opens 19 December 2026 and runs to 9 May 2027. It's built around STEM, and the big draw is a 7.5-metre LEGO replica of NASA's Space Launch System rocket.
Mark
That's a lot of bricks. Who made it?
Mimi
Ryan "Brickman" McNaught and his team. He's described as the Southern Hemisphere's only LEGO Certified Professional. The rocket alone took 563 hours.
Luke
Worth saying that 563 hours and the "only certified professional" label both come from the exhibition's own promotion. Nothing independent confirms them.
Mark
Fair. What about families on a budget?
Mimi
The Perseverance Mars Rover model, life-sized, sits in the foyer and is free to see. Museum entry is free too. The exhibition itself will be ticketed.
Luke
And we don't know the ticket price yet. Only that sales open in the coming weeks.
Mark
What do kids actually do there?
Mimi
Five build zones: Mars homes and vehicles, a six-brick combination challenge, bridge building and testing, and a mystery mosaic. Braille bricks are included for visitors with low vision or blindness.
Luke
One thing to note: the 658 billion combinations figure is the exhibition's claim, and the source lists only four zones in detail, not all five.
Mark
So what's the takeaway?
Mimi
McNaught calls it education by stealth. The pitch is that kids learn while they play.
Le Pouls
- A 7.5-metre rocket built from LEGO bricks is about to take over the South Australian Museum from 19 December 2026.
- Five hands-on build zones invite visitors to test bridges, design Mars homes and try one of 658 billion brick combinations.
- Entry to the Museum and the life-sized Mars Rover in its foyer remain free, with tickets for the exhibition itself soon to go on sale.
- LEGO Braille bricks have been woven throughout the show so blind and low-vision visitors can build alongside their families.
- The exhibition runs until 9 May 2027, with the booking announcement the next thing to watch for.
In the quiet season before summer, a rocket taller than a house will rise in the South Australian Museum, not from a launch pad but from ordinary plastic bricks. The 7.5-metre NASA Space Launch System replica anchors CURIOSITY, a show that opens on 19 December 2026 and runs until 9 May 2027, made by Ryan 'Brickman' McNaught and his team. It reflects an old human habit: turning the tools of play into a way of understanding how we reach beyond the ground beneath us, and inviting people of every age to find that curiosity has always been a kind of building.
On 19 December 2026, a 7.5-metre replica of NASA's Space Launch System rocket, built entirely from LEGO bricks, goes on show at the South Australian Museum. It is the centrepiece of CURIOSITY: Building Breakthroughs in LEGO Bricks, which runs through to 9 May 2027.
The show was created by Ryan "Brickman" McNaught and his team. McNaught is the Southern Hemisphere's only LEGO Certified Professional, and the exhibition gathers brick-built works celebrating science, technology, engineering and mathematics. The rocket alone took 563 hours to design and build, and it sits among solar system models, a giant periodic table and a tribute to women in science.
Much of it is free. A life-sized Mars Rover Perseverance stands in the foyer, and general Museum entry costs nothing. The exhibition is also meant to be touched: five build zones let visitors design Mars homes, test bridges against earthquakes and add to a mystery mosaic. McNaught calls this "education by stealth," because children learn without realising it. LEGO Braille bricks make the play accessible to visitors with low vision or blindness and their families.
Museum Director Dr Samantha Hamilton hopes the show will encourage visitors of all ages to explore, experiment and imagine. Tickets go on sale in the coming weeks.
On 19 December 2026, a 7.5-metre replica of the NASA Space Launch System rocket, built entirely from LEGO bricks, goes on show at the South Australian Museum. It is the centrepiece of CURIOSITY: Building Breakthroughs in LEGO Bricks, an exhibition that will run through to 9 May 2027.
The exhibition was created by Ryan "Brickman" McNaught and his team. McNaught is the Southern Hemisphere's only LEGO Certified Professional. The show gathers brick-built works that celebrate achievements in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
The rocket is the largest piece, and it took McNaught and his team 563 hours to design and build. Around it sit models of the solar system, a giant periodic table of elements, and a display honouring the achievements of women in science.
Not everything requires a ticket. A life-sized model of the Mars Rover Perseverance will stand in the Museum's foyer, free for all visitors. Entry to the Museum itself is also free, so families can see the rover without paying anything.
The exhibition is not look-but-don't-touch. Five interactive build zones let children and adults get hands-on, each exploring a different STEM discipline. In one, visitors can design futuristic Mars homes and space vehicles. In another, they can make one of 658 billion possible combinations using just six standard bricks. Others invite them to build and test their own bridge, and to add to a large-scale mystery mosaic.
McNaught describes the approach as "education by stealth." Whether children are building bridges and testing them against an earthquake, or simply solving problems with bricks, he says they are learning without realising it.
Accessibility has been built in as well. LEGO Braille bricks appear throughout the exhibition, so that visitors with low vision or blindness, along with their families and carers, can take part.
Museum Director Dr Samantha Hamilton says the exhibition turns complex STEM concepts into engaging experiences that encourage visitors of all ages to explore, experiment and imagine what is possible.
The Museum is open daily from 10am to 5pm, with a café, coffee van and shop on site. Tickets for CURIOSITY go on sale in the coming weeks, so the next thing to watch for is the booking announcement.
Citations marquantes
I call it education by stealth.— Ryan "Brickman" McNaught
This exhibition transforms complex STEM concepts into engaging experiences that encourage visitors of all ages to explore, experiment and imagine what's possible.— Dr Samantha Hamilton, Museum Director
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Science & Space