California Science Center (Los Angeles, CA) -- September 2015

DAY SIX (24 September 2015):

When visiting a place, there’s certain things on the target list to see, and downtown Los Angeles had a couple items for specific reasons.  Today we were heading to the California Science Center.  One of the reasons why I wanted to check this out was because I like science museums, and I like to check out the layout to see what works and what doesn’t.  While I’m there as a tourist, I’m also there scouting things for Texas Museum of Science & Technology to see what ideas we can borrow when we build our permanent location.

Admission to the museum is free, although a donation is “recommended.”  The IMAX theatre in the facing building has a cost.  We decided to stick with the museum, and I was more than happy to provide a donation.  The first thing I noticed as we entered the lobby of this multi-level building were the large objects hanging from the ceiling.  I had to laugh because it was a humpback whale with two Air Force jets behind it.  What did that poor whale do to get chased by the military?

The item I’d come here to see was the first thing on the list, and I figured it was good to get there before the museum started to fill up for the day.  The first portion was an informational section which talked about space travel, mission control, and what it was like to be an astronaut.

There was also a short film about the engineering skill it took to bring this prized item to the area.  It was a slow process, road signs had to be removed, and traffic diverted, but the effort was well worth the results.  In an adjacent building was a hanger designed specifically to hold the Space Shuttle Endeavour.

Commissioned in 1992, it was the last Space Shuttle to be built, but it still flew just about as many missions as the others in the fleet.  Situated along the wall were plaques which showed every launch of the entire shuttle program, including date, crew, and a short mission synopsis.  The ones showing the final missions of Challenger and Columbia have a portrait of the crew, so you can remember those who died during the missions.

We could take all the pictures we wanted of the shuttle, there was no touching allowed.  A vehicle which could survive the heat of re-entry could withstand the poking of hundreds of visitors each day, but sooner or later that wear could damage.  It’s best to preserve it as much as possible.  A way to do that was the contraption Endeavour sat upon.  Built with seismic isolators, during an earthquake the shuttle will gently rock back-and-forth on these low-friction sliders to absorb the energy generated by the quake, and not cause damage to the vehicle.  The yellow bars are what holds the shuttle in place, and the blue columns they rest upon are the isolators.

Our visit was timed perfectly, because we had a bit of time to quietly reflect in awe of this engineering marvel before a swarm of noisy and disinterested school kids flooded in.  We saw what we wanted, and then ventured back into the rest of the museum.  There were sections of the ecosystems of the area, and specific exhibits to the functions of life.  About half the displays were designed for hands-on exploration.

Spaced throughout the museum were replicas of some of the more famous probes we’ve launched into our solar system, like the Cassini-Huygens which entered orbit around Saturn in 2004…

…and actual items which were used in the early days of space exploration, like this Gemini 11 capsule.  Notice is was encased in a plastic shell to help preserve it.  While that made it harder to get a good look at it (because of the reflections on the shell), it also kept it from being damaged from hundreds of grubby human hands that would touch it every day.

There’s a café on the first floor if you want to get something to eat, so it’s nice to have that amenity available.  As we were leaving, I was able to get a picture of my favorite plane, which was parked outside.  It’s seems kind of random to have an SR-71 Blackbird parked outside, but that’s an indication of things to come.  Eventually the museum will expand to contain some other aircraft.

Right next door was the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, which was the site of the 1932 and 1984 Summer Olympic Games.  The stadium has been in continual use for professional and high school sporting events, as well as other functions.  I asked if there was a museum we could go in and visit to see any artifacts of the Olympics, and was told there was a walking tour of the stadium, but not an actual museum.

I’m all up for walking up and down stairs outdoors, but that wasn’t something my parents had the stamina for.  Besides, we were more interested in seeing more of the historical aspects of the games that were held here.  The most we were able to do with that was look through the fence to see the plaques listing the names of medal winners.

More Information on Places Visited or Mentioned:

Los Angeles (CA):  https://www.lacity.org/

California Science Center:  http://californiasciencecenter.org/

Texas Museum of Science & Technology (TXMOST):  https://www.txmost.org/

Space Shuttle Endeavour:  http://californiasciencecenter.org/exhibits/air-space/space-shuttle-endeavour

Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum:  http://www.lacoliseum.com/

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