Free Entry To The Science Museum In London
Visit London's Science Museum in South Kensington Free of Charge
Sep 28, 2009
The Science Museum was founded in 1857 as a spin-off of the famous Great Exhibition held in the Crystal Palace and has a worldwide reputation for its historical collections and inspirational exhibitions.
The Advancement of Technology
The Science Museums impressive collection starts in the energy room on the ground floor where you can learn how steam advanced technology helped shape the world. The exhibition looks at 250 years of science and technology from Stephenson's Rocket that influenced the making of steam trains to the Cray 1A supercomputer, the first high performance computer.
The exhibition features some fantastic life sized models which includes steam engines, cars, aeroplanes and a 1929 speedboat. One of the most interesting contrasts that demonstrates the advancement of technology is a model of the car that won the world's first motor race and a modern day F1 car, dubbed the safest car in the world. The 'Fast Forward' exhibition explores how Formula 1 technology has transferred into our everyday lives.
The Story of Space Travel
One of the most popular rooms is one most young impressionable boys get excited about – 'Exploring Space.' Not only do you see life size models of rockets and other spacecraft, such as the Apollo 11, but you also learn how the foundation of space exploration began with Isaac Newton's Third law of Motion and was later developed by the Germans to create the V1 and V2 doodlebugs that were used to bomb London during the Second World War.
The exhibitions continue on the first and second floors and take visitors through the fascinating aspects of science's influence in things we take for granted such as telecommunications, computing and even the human body. There are lots of videos and interactive simulators to explore and have fun.
The Flight Gallery in the Science Museum
The fascination of flight has been in the mind's of man since the story if Icarus in Greek Mythology and the flight gallery explores the development of aviation. In 1486, Leonardo Da Vinci sketched designs for a helicopter, but man didn't physically get off the ground until the late 18th century when the Montgolfier hot air balloon took to the skies in 1783.
The exhibition details the early efforts of late 19th century pioneers and the first successful flight completed by the Wright brothers in 1903 to the development of turbine engines and modern day jet liners. Hanging from the ceiling is a fine selection of early planes, fighter planes in the first and Second World War to a modern day Cessna passenger aircraft.
Launchpad and Flight Simulators
There are more interactive features in Launchpad City where visitors can play with scientific experiments. There are also a couple of Motionride simulators where you can take a rollercoaster ride through Astron Canyon. Rides carry a small charge of £2.50 ($4) for adults and £2.00 ($3) for children. Children must be at least four feet tall to ride the simulators.
Medical and Veterinary History
The fourth and fifth floors detail the history of medical care from the trepanning methods of the Neolithic age to a life scale sized operating theatre in 1980. There are some fascinating models of how early hospitals might have looked, how medical care centres were set up during wartimes and how a chemist would have looked in the 19th century.
Opening times for the Science Museum are Mon-Sun 10.00-18.00. Science Museum, Exhibition Road, London, SW7 2DD. Phone: 0870 870 4868 or visit www.sciencemuseum.org.uk
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