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Free Traveling Guides » States » California » San Diego
Reuben H. Fleet Science Center
The Reuben H. Fleet Science Center is a science museum located in Balboa Park. This was the first museum to combine interactive science exhibits with an IMAX Dome Theater and planetarium. In fact, the Reuben H Fleet Science Center ended up setting standards for most major science museums to follow.
The museum boasts of a motion simulator which can seat 23 passengers and take them to exciting journeys in realms unknown. There are seven galleries in the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center with interactive exhibits and the giant screen in the theater screen exciting films.
The Reuben H. Fleet Science Center opened in 1973 and was designed by architect Louis Bodmer to blend into the Spanish Colonial Revival architecture of Balboa Park. In 1997, a new section was added to the Fleet Science Center and this made space for new exhibits, a motion simulator ride and the Nierman Challenger Learning Center.
In the late 1960s, the San Diego Hall of Science, now known as the San Diego Space and Science Foundation, was planning a new planetarium for Balboa Park. The planetarium was to one of its kind and this 76-foot dome would be capable of being tilted 25 degrees. The dome was also to be used to show movies in a large format film projection system. This is when San Diego Space and Science Foundation approached Spitz Laboratories a new star projector that would not obstruct the view for part of the audience or interfere with the movie projection system, and Spitz Laboratories came up with a servo-controlled starball which was called Space Transit Simulator. This starball was used for many years but was later replaced by a more modern projector.
The museum is named after the Reuben H. Fleet, the aviation pioneer who founded the U.S. Air Mail service. Today the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center has something for all ages and is well worth a visit.
- Address: 1875 El Prado, Balboa Park, San Diego, CA 92101
- Telephone: (619) 238-1233
- Hours: open 9 AM daily, closing time varies
- Website: www.rhfleet.org
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