A simulated earthquake, baby chicks hatching and a giant techno-doll named Tess bring out the kid in all of us at this multimedia museum with plenty of buttons to push, lights to switch on, and knobs to pull. Don't miss seeing the space shuttle Endeavour , which requires a timed-ticket reservation (fee $2)
The enormous space is divided into themed areas. Upstairs on the left, World of Life focuses mostly on the human body. You can ‘hop on’ a red blood cell for a computer fly-through of the circulatory system, ask Gertie how long your colon really is, watch open-heart surgery, and learn about homeostasis from Tess, billed as ‘50ft of brains, beauty and biology.’ Tots may have trouble understanding the science, but they will remember Tess.
Creative World is all about the ingenious ways humans have devised to communicate with each other, transport things and build structures. Meet a family of crash-test dummies, fly a virtual hovercraft and get all shook up during a fake earthquake. Ecosystems takes visitors through a variety of habitats: desert, river, island, urban and forest.
Aircraft and space travel take center stage in the Sketch Foundation Gallery , in an adjacent Frank Gehry building (yes, he’s everywhere). Spirits will soar at the sight of a pioneering 1902 Wright glider; the original Gemini X1 capsule flown by US astronauts in 1996; and a replica Soviet Sputnik, the first human-made object to orbit the earth in 1957. The Science Center is also home to Space Shuttle Endeavour – you may remember its much ballyhooed fly over the city, followed by it being towed through the city streets in the dead of night. It's new permanent home will be in a new gallery called the Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center , but while that's under construction you can see the beast in the Samuel Oschin Pavillion.
