Endeavour to discover
at the California Science Center
By Brenden Clark
You’re in Southern California, and the family wants
to do something that is fun for all and affordable. Well
Disneyland is out. Why not try the California Science
Center? It might not have Mickey, Goofy or roller
coasters, but does Disneyland have a real Space
Shuttle? Oh, and did I mention - it’s FREE!
Going on fifteen years now, the CSC is more popular
than ever with the addition of Shuttle Endeavor. 600,000
children a year currently visit the facility with more than
two million total visitors expected in 2013.
The CSC has something for everyone. Aquariums,
games, puzzles, physical challenges, an IMAX Theater,
historic artifacts of the space program, including real
Apollo and Gemini
Capsules, a full-scale
engineering model
of
the
massive
Cassini-Huygens
spacecraft, and of
course,
Endeavor.
Oh and did I mention
- it’s FREE!
I had the pleasure
of sitting down with
Dr. Kenneth Phillips,
the Curator for the
Aerospace Science
Programs at the
CSC. We discussed
everything from the
future of propulsion
systems for manned
Mars missions to his
favorite space movie… Forbidden Planet and The Day
the Earth Stood Still. Which if you ever saw the original,
not the Keanu Reeves remake, then you would know
why it is so funny that Dr. Phillips memorized the phrase
‘Klaatu barada nikto’ as a kid. If the aliens ever did
show up, he was prepared to save the world.
That brings us to the mission of the CSC. “Aspiring
to stimulate curiosity and inspire science learning
in everyone by creating fun and memorable
experiences, because science is an indispensable tool
for understanding our world.”
That sounds great, but does it work? From seeing
the hundreds of children having a great time the day I
was there, I’d say - definitely. As Dr. Phillips said “What
science centers are good at, the kinds of experiences
we provide, if we are clever about it, are far more than
just entertaining. They open doors for people. Not only
www.RocketSTEM.org
in terms of stuff you will see and think about. They will
open doors for them in terms of what they themselves
can actually do.”
He hit on a key to the future of science education:
making science accessible and cool for children. We
all know that science in the American school system
is hurting. A science center is not a substitute for what
needs to be taught in a classroom, but it is a stimulant
that can help children want to learn.
“We’ve got to reach children early. Create
experiences that they find memorable and they can
succeed at,” said Dr. Phillips. The key word being
success. That is a theme that kept coming up in our
conversation as well as around the center when I would
see children trying to
solve challenges or
understand principles
that an exhibit was
demonstrating.
The
key is kids need to be
able to succeed.
Too often we make
it feel like advanced
sciences are too hard,
too out of reach for
the everyday person,
but the fact is, they
aren’t. Science takes
work to learn. But so
does football. So does
art or music.
“Everybody in soPhoto: Walter Scriptunas II/Spaceflight Now
ciety has to be on
the same page. We
need to assure them that they can succeed and not
take excuses for not succeeding,” said Dr. Phillips. If we
replaced “in society” with “on this team,” you might
think it was Phil Jackson giving a locker-room speech.
So what else does the CSC have planned for the
future? Currently they are focusing on building the new
facility that will house Shuttle Endeavor in a vertical
position. They are trying to simulate the launch platform
environment. It will be an astonishing display once
finished. Right now Endeavour is housed in a hanger that
barely fits her massive size. The hangar feels cramped,
confined, but that loss is our gain as patrons can walk
under her and get closer than most ever thought they
could to a real Shuttle.
But Endevour needs to be free, and in a few years
she will be. There are ways you can help. This is an
expensive endeavor, forgive the pun, and they could
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