Get up close to classic sci-fi props, art and costumes

A range of fascinating artefacts from the history of science fiction are on display at "Into the Unknown", an exhibition currently running in London's Barbican Centre. We went along to check out the cool movie props, imaginative concept art and original sci-fi classics imagining infinity and beyond.

The exhibition is suited and booted with a selection of natty duds from space, including these spacesuits from Star Trek and "Moon".

Striking spacesuits from recent astronaut adventures "Interstellar" and "Sunshine".

The unusually-designed spacesuit worn by John Hurt's ill-fated character Kane in the film "Alien".

A script by Arthur C Clarke with the title crossed out and a new name handwritten in: "2001: A Space Odyssey".

Sci-fi fans will recognise many of these iconic books.

A copy of the sci-fi forerunner "Niels Klim's Underground Travels" by Ludvig Holberg, first published in 1741.

An early edition of Jules Verne's "The Mysterious Island", one of the many classic science fiction tomes on display.

The exhibition includes models of fantastical craft like Captain Nemo's submarine Nautilus 1 and Robur's flying machine the Terror from the stories of HG Wells and Jules Verne. 

Fantastic and startling stories of wonder fill these vintage pulp sci-fi magazines.

Many of these sci-fi classics have been turned into movies, but not always faithfully.

Original artwork by HR Giger for "Alien 3".

Concept art from "The Empire Strikes Back" showing Luke Skywalker meeting an early version of Yoda.

They mostly come at night ... mostly: a fearsome model alien head.

Striking helmets from "Stargate".

Prop helmets worn by actors in the original Star Wars movies.

The lusty life-form Sil from "Species", an example of sexy sci-fi movies.

Model dinosaurs built by legendary effects wizard Ray Harryhausen for this much-loved 1966 classic.

The models, built for stop motion animation, are surprisingly small but richly detailed.

Much of the joy of science fiction comes from imagining how these fantastical creations might work. Here's a cutaway illustration of a fictional space station.

This agridome model pulled double duty in both "Silent Running" and "Battlestar Galactica".

Welcome to Earth!

The dimensional portal prop from "Red Dwarf".

A range of Godzilla models from the classic Japanese monster movie series.

Transparencies from Ridley Scott's 1982 classic "Blade Runner".

A Class B-9-M-3 General Utility Non-Theorizing Environmental Control Robot -- otherwise known as Robot.

Bidi-bidi-bidi -- it's the costume worn by loveable sidekick Twiki in "Buck Rogers in the 25th Century".

This is just a picture of some cool robots.

"Into the Unknown" runs at the Barbican centre in London until 1 September.