Now Open!

Here the young scientist, engineer, inventor and artist has a space to experiment with ideas, tools, technologies, and phenomena. Museum staff and other artists, scientists, engineers will develop and facilitate the activities in the Curiosity Laboratory. It's a fun and inspiring laboratory where you can experiment, explore and observe natural phenomena to discover the wonders of the universe. Activities will include:

• Taking apart old and new technological innovations to see the mystery of everyday appliances and play with their parts.
• Using problem solving skills to solve engineering challenges
• Commanding tools to build, measure, and create inventions, toys, birdhouses, musical instruments, and artwork.

The Garage

NEW Vehicle in the Garage
The new SmartforTwo car debuted on April 16, 2010!

Most cars’ engines take gas and convert it into energy through small gas explosions in the cylinder. This drives the pistons up and down. The transmission, sometimes called a gearbox, transfers power from the engine, through the drive shaft, to the wheels. Its gears can be adjusted to regulate the speed at which the wheels turn. This helps your car get more power when it needs it, like to climb a hill. The differential is a clever arrangement of gears that transmits power to the wheels and allows two wheels linked on a single axle to rotate at different speeds for making turns.

The Climbing Structure

Parachutes
A parachute is used to slow down a person or object as it falls from an aircraft or a great height. There are two great forces that act on any falling object: air resistance and gravity. Gravity is what pulls us and any object quickly down toward the earth. But air resists the object’s movement as it falls, slowing down its speed. A parachute creates more air resistance by holding the air in its shoot. This helps slow down the falling object so it can land safely instead of crashing.

The Pulley
Pulleys are simple machines that allow you to lift heavy objects using less force. A pulley’s rope is attached on one end to the object you are lifting and then passes over a pair of small wheels. As you pull down on the other end of the rope to lift the heavy object, each pair of pulleys you use decreases the amount of force you need to lift the object.

Pulleys can be found many places, including construction sites where they help workers lift heavy objects, in elevators where they help lift passengers, and on sailboats where they help raise sails.

Interactive Art: Pulley Slowly Rolling Bop

Operate your own Rube-Goldberg style roller coaster with a ball that loops high above the Kid’s Climber on a wire track. Flip switches to make it turn, intersect, and return back home. A hand-operated lift sends the balls back up from the Museum floor.

Created by Henry Loustau. Funded by The Perelman Family