(EMAILWIRE.COM, March 06, 2002 ) Peer into the cockpit of an F20 jet fighter suspended overhead, imagine yourself soaring over the city as you sit in a retired LAPD helicopter, or design and test your own customized spacecraft then see if it has the "right stuff" to handle rigors of a flight mission. These are just a few of the exciting interactive exhibits visitors can experience during their exploration of the awe-inspiring Air and Space Gallery, which returns to the California Science Center in Exposition Park, March 9, 2002.

Formerly known as Aerospace Hall and part of the California Museum of Science and Industry, the Air and Space Gallery has been closed since 1998 for building renovations, and updated to offer visitors a rich, one-of-a-kind exhibition experience.

Inside the visually stimulating, multi-level interior of the Air & Space Gallery, real air and spacecraft are suspended overhead, frozen mid-flight. Visitors will be able to probe the challenges of aeronautics and space exploration and see actual air and space craft used to journey into unknown realms.

The Air and Space Gallery's interior space reaches seven stories high allowing many exhibit artifacts to be suspended. Planes such as the F20 Northrop jet fighter and historic Bell X-1 rocket plane, deep space probes such as prototypes for the Jupiter-bound Pioneer 10 and Mars-bound Viking Lander, and satellites such as the Uhuru x-ray telescope, can be viewed from the multi-level balconies. Other artifacts from NASA's early "manned" space program help interpret the dangers of spaceflight and include floor-mounted space capsules such as the actual Gemini 11 capsule, flown by astronauts Pete Conrad and Dick Gordon, and the Mercury Redstone 2 capsule that carried Ham, the chimpanzee. Other floor-mounted artifacts, all 1/5 scale, include important orbiting observatories such as the Hubble Space Telescope, Infra Red Astronomy Satellite and Chandra X-ray telescope.

Architectural Highlights

The building was designed by noted architect Frank O. Gehry and its opening coincided with the 1984 Olympics held nearby in the historic Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Renovations were completed by Fremer | Savel Architects, Inc. and reflect the firm's ability to creatively synthesize practical and innovative design solutions.

Note to Editors: Kenneth Phillips, Ph.D., curator of Aerospace Science is available for interviews.

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Produced for California Science Center

Contacts:

Shell Amegah, Paula Wagner or Isela Castillo
213.744-7446
Pager: 323.410-9160

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Contact Information:
California Science Center
Joseph Nchor
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