The California Science Center (sometimes spelled California ScienCenter) is a state agency and museum located in Exposition Park,

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

, next to the

Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County The Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County is the largest natural and historical museum in the western United States. Its collections include nearly 35 million specimens and artifacts and cover 4.5 billion years of history. This large col ...

and the

University of Southern California , mottoeng = "Let whoever earns the palm bear it" , religious_affiliation = Nonsectarian—historically Methodist , established = , accreditation = WSCUC , type = Private research university , academic_affiliations = , endowment = $8.1 ...

. Billed as the West Coast's largest hands-on science center, the California Science Center is a public-private partnership between the State of California and the California Science Center Foundation. The

California Natural Resources Agency The California Natural Resources Agency (CNRA) is a state cabinet-level agency in the government of California. The institution and jurisdiction of the Natural Resources Agency is provided for in California Government Code sections 12800 and 128 ...

oversees the California Science Center and the

California African American Museum The California African American Museum (CAAM) is a museum located in Exposition Park, Los Angeles, California, United States. The museum focuses on enrichment and education on the cultural heritage and history of African Americans with a focus o ...

. Founded in 1951 as the "California Museum of Science and Industry", the Museum was remodeled and renamed in 1998 as the "California Science Center". The California Science Center hosts the California State Science Fair annually. Admission includes access to the permanent exhibits, such as the Space Shuttle ''Endeavour'' and other prominent aircraft and spacecraft, and to various demonstrations. A separate ticket is required for the IMAX movies, most special traveling exhibitions, and special activities that include a

climbing wall A climbing wall is an artificially constructed wall with grips for hands and feet, usually used for indoor climbing, but sometimes located outdoors. Some are brick or wooden constructions, but on most modern walls, the material most often used i ...

motion simulator A motion simulator or motion platform is a mechanism that creates the feelings of being in a real motion environment. In a simulator, the movement is synchronised with a visual display of the outside world (OTW) scene. Motion platforms can provi ...

, and a high-wire bicycle.

Affiliations

The center has been accredited by the

American Alliance of Museums American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

and the

Association of Zoos and Aquariums The Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), originally the American Association of Zoological Parks and Aquariums, is an American 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1924 and dedicated to the advancement of zoos and public aquariums in ...

, and is a member of the

Association of Science and Technology Centers The Association of Science and Technology Centers (ASTC) is a non-profit, global organization based in Washington, D.C., in the United States, that provides a collective voice, professional support, and programming opportunities for science cen ...

. The museum is also an affiliate in the

Smithsonian Affiliations Smithsonian Affiliations is a division of the Smithsonian Institution that establishes long-term partnerships with non-Smithsonian museums and educational and cultural organizations in order to share collections, exhibitions and educational str ...

program.

Current permanent exhibits

Ecosystems

The two-story, 45,000-square-foot exhibit features display zones with live animals and aquariums about wildlife and adaptation in different

ecosystem An ecosystem (or ecological system) consists of all the organisms and the physical environment with which they interact. These biotic and abiotic components are linked together through nutrient cycles and energy flows. Energy enters the syste ...

s, including a river, desert, polar region, deep sea, ocean, island and urban areas, as well as the entire planet Earth.

Creative World

An area with hands-on activities and exhibits that explore innovation and invention, with themes involving construction, energy and transportation.

World of Life

Examines the processes of life and similarities among organisms, including food, body organs like the heart and brain, senses, defenses against threats, how living things reproduce which includes a hatching chick display, DNA, and microscopic organisms. A titan arum ('' Amorphophallus titanum'') flower is now on loan from the Huntington Library, Art Museum and Botanical Gardens.

Space exhibits

Gemini 11 capsule (front) at California Science Center

Mercury-Redstone 2 Mercury-Redstone 2 (MR-2) was the test flight of the Mercury-Redstone Launch Vehicle just prior to the first crewed American space mission in Project Mercury. Carrying a chimpanzee named Ham on a suborbital flight, Mercury spacecraft Number 5 w ...

capsule which carried

Ham Ham is pork from a leg cut that has been preserved by wet or dry curing, with or without smoking."Bacon: Bacon and Ham Curing" in ''Chambers's Encyclopædia''. London: George Newnes, 1961, Vol. 2, p. 39. As a processed meat, the term "ham ...

, a chimpanzee, the first

great ape The Hominidae (), whose members are known as the great apes or hominids (), are a taxonomic family of primates that includes eight extant species in four genera: '' Pongo'' (the Bornean, Sumatran and Tapanuli orangutan); ''Gorilla'' (the ...

in space (1961) *

Gemini 11 Gemini 11 (officially Gemini XI) With Gemini IV, NASA changed to Roman numerals for Gemini mission designations. was the ninth crewed spaceflight mission of NASA's Project Gemini, which flew from September 12 to 15, 1966. It was the 17th crewed ...

capsule, flown by

Pete Conrad Charles "Pete" Conrad Jr. (June 2, 1930 – July 8, 1999) was an American NASA astronaut, aeronautical engineer, naval officer and aviator, and test pilot, and commanded the Apollo 12 space mission, on which he became the third person to ...

and Richard F. Gordon Jr. in 1966 * Apollo-Soyuz Test Project Command Module from the 1975 mission * Space Shuttle ''Endeavour'' in the Samuel Oschin Pavilion *

Space Shuttle external tank The Space Shuttle external tank (ET) was the component of the Space Shuttle launch vehicle that contained the liquid hydrogen fuel and liquid oxygen oxidizer. During lift-off and ascent it supplied the fuel and oxidizer under pressure to the ...

immediately outside the Oschin Pavilion * SKETCH Foundation Gallery in Science Court - exhibits about the

Solar System The Solar System Capitalization of the name varies. The International Astronomical Union, the authoritative body regarding astronomical nomenclature, specifies capitalizing the names of all individual astronomical objects but uses mixed "Solar ...

, space travel and aviation, displays of historic aircraft, space vehicles and equipment, and space telescopes

Aircraft

Douglas DC-8 The Douglas DC-8 (sometimes McDonnell Douglas DC-8) is a long-range narrow-body airliner built by the American Douglas Aircraft Company. After losing the May 1954 US Air Force tanker competition to the Boeing KC-135, Douglas announced in July ...

jetliner * Lockheed F-104D Starfighter *

Lockheed A-12 The Lockheed A-12 is a high-altitude, Mach 3+ reconnaissance aircraft built for the United States Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) by Lockheed's Skunk Works, based on the designs of Clarence "Kelly" Johnson. The aircraft was designat ...

Blackbird two-seater trainer, Serial Number 60-6927 *Replica Bell X-1 (movie prop from '' The Right Stuff'') *1902

Wright Glider The Wright brothers designed, built and flew a series of three manned Glider (aircraft), gliders in 1900–1902 as they worked towards achieving powered flight. They also made preliminary tests with a kite in 1899. In 1911 Orville conducted test ...

replica *1929 Velie Monocoupe *

Northrop T-38 Talon The Northrop T-38 Talon is a two-seat, twinjet supersonic jet trainer. It was the world's first, and the most produced, supersonic trainer. The T-38 remains in service in several air forces. The United States Air Force (USAF) operates the most ...

Jet Trainer, Serial Number 58-1196 *

Northrop F-20 Tigershark The Northrop F-20 Tigershark (initially F-5G) is a light fighter, designed and built by Northrop. Its development began in 1975 as a further evolution of Northrop's F-5E Tiger II, featuring a new engine that greatly improved overall performa ...

McDonnell Douglas F/A-18A Hornet The McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet is an all-weather, twin-engine, supersonic, carrier-capable, multirole combat aircraft, designed as both a fighter and attack aircraft (hence the F/A designation). Designed by McDonnell Douglas (now ...

Serial Number 161725

Robotic spacecraft

*Engineering prototype for

Viking Lander The ''Viking'' program consisted of a pair of identical American space probes, ''Viking 1'' and ''Viking 2'', which landed on Mars in 1976. Each spacecraft was composed of two main parts: an orbiter designed to photograph the surface of Mars f ...

*'' Cassini-Huygens'' planetary probe (replica) *''

Pioneer 10 ''Pioneer 10'' (originally designated Pioneer F) is an American space probe, launched in 1972 and weighing , that completed the first mission to the planet Jupiter. Thereafter, ''Pioneer 10'' became the first of five artificial objects to ach ...

'' planetary probe (replica) *

Mariner IV Mariner 4 (together with Mariner 3 known as Mariner-Mars 1964) was the fourth in a series of spacecraft intended for planetary exploration in a flyby mode. It was designed to conduct closeup scientific observations of Mars and to transmit thes ...

planetary probe (replica) * Pioneer-Venus planetary probe (replica)

History

State Exhibition

The museum's history dates back to the first California State Exhibition building, which opened in Exposition Park in Los Angeles in 1912, the site of an agricultural fairground from 1872 to 1910. The brick and

terra cotta Terracotta, terra cotta, or terra-cotta (; ; ), in its material sense as an earthenware substrate, is a clay-based unglazed or glazed ceramic where the fired body is porous. In applied art, craft, construction, and architecture, terracotta ...

building, designed by William D. Coates, Jr., state architect, and N. Ellery, state engineer, displayed agriculturally-based natural resources and industrial products from across the state, including ranching, fish and game, coal mining, gold mining, oil production, and

lumbering Logging is the process of cutting, processing, and moving trees to a location for transport. It may include skidding, on-site processing, and loading of trees or logs onto trucks or skeleton cars. Logging is the beginning of a supply chain ...

, as well as some of the state's recreational attractions. After World War II, the building also featured exhibits about state science and technology industries.

California Museum of Science and Industry

In 1951, the exhibition became the "California Museum of Science and Industry". The State Exhibition building was renamed in honor of major donor and trustee Howard F. Ahmanson as the Howard F. Ahmanson Building. The hands-on interactive exhibits included themes on agriculture, transportation, electricity, energy, industries, and minerals. In 1961, the museum opened a new science wing that featured " Mathematica: A World of Numbers... and Beyond", an exhibit sponsored by IBM and designed by

Charles and Ray Eames Charles Eames ( Charles Eames, Jr) and Ray Eames ( Ray-Bernice Eames) were an American married couple of industrial designers who made significant historical contributions to the development of modern architecture and furniture through the work of ...

to visually demonstrate fundamental mathematical concepts. Interaction stations demonstrated different concepts including

celestial mechanics Celestial mechanics is the branch of astronomy that deals with the motions of objects in outer space. Historically, celestial mechanics applies principles of physics (classical mechanics) to astronomical objects, such as stars and planets, to ...

, the Möbius strip, multiplication, symmetry, and

projective geometry In mathematics, projective geometry is the study of geometric properties that are invariant with respect to projective transformations. This means that, compared to elementary Euclidean geometry, projective geometry has a different setting, ...

. The original exhibit closed in 1998, and is now on display at the

New York Hall of Science The New York Hall of Science, also known as NYSCI, is a science museum located in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park in the New York City borough of Queens, in the section of the park that is in Corona. It occupies one of the few remaining structures fr ...

. The Hall of Health was added in 1968.

1984 changes

In preparation for the

1984 Summer Olympics The 1984 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXIII Olympiad and also known as Los Angeles 1984) were an international multi-sport event held from July 28 to August 12, 1984, in Los Angeles, California, United States. It marked the sec ...

, the museum added new exhibits on earthquakes and economics, and an IMAX theatre. The opening and closing ceremonies for the games were held in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, which is adjacent to the museum.

California African American Museum

The

was founded in 1981 and housed in the California Museum of Science and Industry building until 1984, when its own facility was opened adjacent to the California Aerospace Museum.

1990s and closing

In 1994, the museum's building was damaged by the

Northridge earthquake The 1994 Northridge earthquake was a moment 6.7 (), blind thrust earthquake that occurred on January 17, 1994, at 4:30:55 a.m. PST in the San Fernando Valley region of the City of Los Angeles. The quake had a duration of approximatel ...

. The California Museum of Science and Industry closed in 1996 to prepare for a new facility.

California Aerospace Museum

The "California Aerospace Museum" was also opened in 1984 adjacent to and operated by the California Museum of Science and Industry to coincide with the Summer Olympics. It was also known as Aerospace Hall but also commonly known as the California Air and Space Museum/Gallery and the SKETCH Foundation Gallery, and was the first major public work of architect Frank Gehry. The museum focused on the State's history as a leader in the aviation and aerospace industries and featured a giant, hangar-like space with aircraft and space vehicles and artifacts. The building, now known as the Air and Space Gallery, was closed in 2011. In 2012 the building was listed on the

California Register of Historical Resources The California Register of Historical Resources is a California state government program for use by state and local agencies, private groups, and citizens to identify, evaluate, register and protect California's historical resources. The register i ...

, but its future is unknown.

Transformation to California Science Center

In 1988 the museum's leadership began a to develop a three-phase, 25-year master plan to transform the institution from a science museum to a science education facility. This new facility would be known as the ''California Science Center''. The original museum building closed its doors in 1996 to prepare for the new construction.

Phase I

The new construction was designed by

Portland, Oregon Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the list of cities in Oregon, largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, Columbia rivers, Portland is ...

-based

Zimmer Gunsul Frasca Partnership ZGF Architects LLP (ZGF), formerly Zimmer Gunsul Frasca Partnership, is an American Architectural firm founded in 1942 based in Portland, Oregon with seven offices in the United States and Canada. History The company was founded in 1942 in Po ...

. Changes included: * Redesign of the original main building (Howard F. Ahmanson building). The north facade of the Science Center retains the facade of former State Exposition Building that opened to the

Exposition Park Rose Garden The Exposition Park Rose Garden is a historic sunken garden located in Exposition Park in Los Angeles, California. It has been called "one of the city's best-kept secrets". It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1991. Estab ...

, but the remainder of the original building was demolished. * Science Plaza - Exhibits outside the main entrance of aircraft and science principles. * Exhibits in the new building ** World of Life - Explores the science of life in five galleries. ** Creative World - Highlights technology in transportation, communications and structures. Features include a virtual reality exhibit to play sports using virtual reality and an earthquake simulator. ** Special Exhibits gallery - Exhibits in this room have included a ''

Titanic RMS ''Titanic'' was a British passenger liner, operated by the White Star Line, which sank in the North Atlantic Ocean on 15 April 1912 after striking an iceberg during her maiden voyage from Southampton, England, to New York City, Unit ...

'' exhibit, a magic exhibit, a toy exhibit, and the Human Body exhibit. ** ExploraStore - Store specializing in scientific and educational items. * IMAX theater - a new seven-story IMAX screen Phase I was completed and opened in 1998, when the museum was opened and officially renamed the California Science Center.

Phase II

* Ecosystems - opened in 2010 * Renovated the historic

160th Regiment State Armory The Wallis Annenberg Building (originally the 160th Regiment State Armory, and also referred to as the Exposition Park Armory) is a building located in Exposition Park, Los Angeles, California. It was built in 1912 and designed by architect J.W ...

building into the new "Wallis Annenberg Building for Science Learning and Innovation", opened in 2004 The building includes the Amgen Center for Science Learning and the K-5 Science Center School, a public magnet school officially known as the Dr. Theodore T. Alexander Jr. Science Center School. * SKETCH Foundation Gallery, Air and Space Exhibits - opened in 2002, a temporary gallery featuring interactive exhibits and artifacts on continuing loan from

NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the civil List of government space agencies, space program ...

and The

Smithsonian Institution The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums and education and research centers, the largest such complex in the world, created by the U.S. government "for the increase and diffusion of knowledge". Founded ...

. * Air and Space Gallery (former California Aerospace Museum) closed in 2011, with displays moved into the main Science Center in the SKETCH Foundation Gallery. * In 2012, the California Science Center opened a temporary steel structure known as the " Samuel Oschin Pavilion" to house the Space Shuttle ''Endeavour''. The structure was designed by Zimmer Gunsul Frasca Partnership and is planned to be replaced by the new Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center on the east side of the Science Center. In 2015, the museum received the last remaining

Phase III

*Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center - planned to open in 2025, the addition was formerly titled "Worlds Beyond" The ZGF designed addition is currently under construction. It will house a total of 150 new exhibits, including the permanent home of the

Space Shuttle The Space Shuttle is a retired, partially reusable low Earth orbital spacecraft system operated from 1981 to 2011 by the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) as part of the Space Shuttle program. Its official program ...

Endeavour. The center will include a shuttle gallery, which will permanently house

Endeavour, an air gallery that will house 20 airplanes, and a space gallery.

Gallery

File:California Science Center January 2013 001.jpg, View of entire building File:California Science Center January 2013 002.jpg, Entrance to California Science Center, with IMAX Theater at the left File:IMAX at California Science Center.JPG, IMAX Theater at the California Science Center File:California Science Center January 2013 003.jpg, Roof trusses above third floor File:California Science Center January 2013 004.jpg, Roof above third floor

References

External links

*
usc.edu
Brief story about the California Museum of Science and Industry

Remembering the California Museum of Science & Industry
EHDD Architecture
Phase II architects {{authority control Museums in Los Angeles Exposition Park (Los Angeles) Aerospace museums in California Science museums in California History museums in California IMAX venues Science centers Space Shuttle tourist attractions Science and technology in Greater Los Angeles California Natural Resources Agency Science Center, California Smithsonian Institution affiliates Institutions accredited by the American Alliance of Museums Association of Science-Technology Centers member institutions Museums established in 1951 1951 establishments in California Expressionist architecture South Los Angeles Exposition Park (Los Angeles neighborhood) Postmodern architecture in California