EC Event: The California Science Center

The Northrop T-38 and F-20 Tigershark

On May 30th, after visiting the Natural History Museum, I took a visit to the California Science Center, which was nearby. Upon my entrance, I was fascinated by the sheer number of different aircrafts that were exhibited. The first ones that caught my attention were the fighter jets. The Northrop T-38 was the fist-ever twin-engine and carried high-altitude supersonic features. In its history, it was mainly used for advanced pilot training since the 1960s. Being made out of aluminum alloy, the first T-38 flew in 1959, and today, about half of the planes are still in service. Another fighter jet that was interesting was the F-20 Tigershark. In its description, its efficiency was its best characteristic; it was easy to fly and was fairly inexpensive to maintain. One of its remarkable features was its ability to be ready for combat just one minute after takeoff. However, mass production of the plane and its distribution never happened, so seeing it in the science center was really special.

The Wright Glider

Going up the escalator, there were several other planes, but the one that caught my attention was the Wright Glider, which I have already heard about. It was created in 1902 by Orville and Wilbur Wright, and it was the first-ever plane to achieve controlled flight. Judging by its look, it seemed really fragile; it is appalling to imagine how a single person was able to make out of its flight alive. Despite its simplistic model, it is intriguing to know how its fundamental mechanics were able to be passed on generation after generation of its successive planes, even to today.

The Space Shuttle Endeavour

Probably the most interesting component of the California Science Center is the Space Shuttle Endeavour. By my first appearance, its size was utterly massive; the complexity of its structure was truly amazing. Going through its history, the Endeavour successfully completed 25 missions into space, including the first service mission to the Hubble Space Telescope. Overall, my experience at the California Science Center was truly inspirational, and after watching the lecture video on space and art, it was interesting how everything connected and came together when I actually saw its history in person.

https://californiasciencecenter.org

Event 3: Natural History Museum in LA

Aragonite

On May 30th, I went with my family to the Natural History Museum. During my time there, I came across various rooms that were filled with all sorts of fascinating attractions. There was almost too much to see, but I started with the gem and mineral hall. It was amazing to see so many different types of minerals, crystals, gems and rocks all in one area. Each one had its own unique size, shape, color, and texture to it: Mesolite on Apophyllite had an illusion that it was straightened white fur forming out of a rock, but if you looked closely, it had a crystalline pattern. Barite had a unique red glow to it, having combinations of both smooth and rough texture. The Mojave Nugget is made out of pure gold and weight 156 troy ounces; it is labeled as the largest known gold nugget from California. Probably the most interesting to me was Aragonite from Xichang, Sichuan Province, China. It had different variations of blue spilled all around it with different shapes protruding from all edges. Judging from appearance, it carried both gems and minerals in it.

Mojave Nugget

An assortment of all sorts of gems and minerals

Next, I visited the dinosaur section. The exhibit was large; it held more dinosaurs than I could imagine, some of them which I have never even seen before. It was interesting to read in one of the descriptions how dinosaurs attracted mates. I learned that many dinosaurs expressed different features such as horns, crests, and frills on their headgear. While comparing the different triceratops’ skulls, I was able to differentiate between the two seemingly alike creatures. My favorite dinosaur is the brachiosaurus. It’s long and protruding neck was so fascinating to me. Looking at its size, it is hard to imagine that these dinosaurs were living on Earth just as how we humans are now.

Left to Right: Brachiosaurus and Triceratops

Lastly, I visited the North American Diorama Hall. All of the animals looked so natural and real; I saw moose, cats, bears, deer, horses, elephants, buffalo, and much more. While witnessing all of these different animals, it reminded me of how biotech relates to art. It is intriguing to think how scientists are capable to preserve the entirety on the animal while still making it appear real. Only through advanced technology in biology was this made possible. Overall, my experience at the museum was really special. I truly gained further insights into how science can connect with art, and how through this connection, such a beautiful attraction like the Natural History Museum could be formed.

Buffalo in the North American Diorama Hall

Unit 9: Space + Art

Galaxy

Not long after the discovery of nanotechnology and its appliance to art came findings in space technology. Nicolaus Copernicus was one of the first to propose his ideas to the world about astronomy; he published an early description of his heliocentric model of the solar system in 1512. His description depicts the Sun in the middle of the solar system, but not exactly symmetric. There have been earlier findings of this model, but it was through him where he fused mathematics with it. His discoveries have not been published due to fear that he might get into trouble, but today, there are numerous astronomical devices that are named after him such as the telescope and satellite. Speaking of the telescope, this invention has enabled nanotechnology to come into play. By expanding into the macro by powers of ten, we can see how after earth comes the solar system, then the billions of stars, then the galaxy, and so on. By shrinking by powers of ten, we can go beyond matter and into the atom, where there lies protons and neutrons. For instance, through the use of the telescope, the discovery of bucky balls was able to take place.

Telescope

The launching of Sputnik 1 in 1957 created a space race involving the United States and the Soviet Union. There was increased conception during this time between the two rivals, which led to Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin becoming the first men to land on the moon during the Apollo 11 space mission. This created new scientific revolutions in space exploration, and later, different artists around the world have shown their interest in space through movies such as Star Wars and Star Trek.

Neil Armstrong

Sources:

Office, Eames. “Powers of Ten™ (1977).” YouTube, YouTube, 26 Aug. 2010, www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=8&v=0fKBhvDjuy0.

Vesna, Victoria. “8 Space pt1”. Youtube, 29 July 2013, Web. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ZIqTR332l8.
Vesna, Victoria. “8 Space pt2”. Youtube, 29 July 2013, Web. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hLZMDpoP-u0.
Vesna, Victoria. “8 Space pt3”. Youtube, 29 July 2013, Web. https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=481&v=4WOqt_C55Mk. 
Vesna, Victoria. “8 Space pt4”. Youtube, 29 July 2013, Web. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J5ClKO6AJPo. 
Vesna, Victoria. “8 Space pt5”. Youtube, 29 July 2013, Web. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WnSUHMXBmdg.
Vesna, Victoria. “8 Space pt6”. Youtube, 29 July 2013, Web. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VYmOtFjIj0M.