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