Don Harrington Discovery Center
Encyclopedia
Don Harrington Discovery Center is an interactive science center in Amarillo
, Texas
, U.S.A.
, targeting towards young children with hands-on science exhibits and a planetarium
. The Discovery Center is located in the city's hospital district and is named after philanthropist, Don Harrington.
Located in front of the Discovery Center is the Helium Centennial Time Columns Monument. The planetarium was renovated in 2003 and was implemented with the Digistar 3
, fulldome video
projection technology.
Most of the Discovery Center's income comes from admission fees and gift shops, while the rest comes from charitable organizations such as Amarillo Area Foundation and the Harrington Foundation.
The Discovery center is a member of the Association of Children's Museums
Reciprocal Program and Association of Science-Technology Centers
Passport Program, allowing member to receive free or reduced admission at various museums.
The Helium Centennial Time Columns Monument was built in 1968 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the discovery of helium
. The Time Columns Monument is a six-story high stainless steel structure containing four time capsules, three of which form the legs of the monument and one which stands erect. The capsules are intended to be opened in 25, 50, 100, and 1000 years from the date it was erected in 1968. In 1982 the Helium Monument was airlifted by helicopter from I-40 and Nelson to its current site at the Don Harrington Discovery Center. In 1993, the first time capsule was opened, on schedule, during a two-day celebration of the 25th birthday of the monument. The contents of that capsule are in the collection of the Discovery Center, and are not typically on display to the public. Among the most interesting things stored within the monument is the passbook
in the 1000 year capsule to a bank account with a $10 deposit. It is projected to be worth $1 quadrillion
when opened in 2968.
The monument also serves as a sun dial, its features oriented to the sun to tell the time.
Amarillo, Texas
Amarillo is the 14th-largest city, by population, in the state of Texas, the largest in the Texas Panhandle, and the seat of Potter County. A portion of the city extends into Randall County. The population was 190,695 at the 2010 census...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, U.S.A.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, targeting towards young children with hands-on science exhibits and a planetarium
Planetarium
A planetarium is a theatre built primarily for presenting educational and entertaining shows about astronomy and the night sky, or for training in celestial navigation...
. The Discovery Center is located in the city's hospital district and is named after philanthropist, Don Harrington.
Located in front of the Discovery Center is the Helium Centennial Time Columns Monument. The planetarium was renovated in 2003 and was implemented with the Digistar 3
Digistar 3
Digistar 3 is a dome-based projection technology created by Evans & Sutherland - to offer audiences immersive entertainment and education experiences that integrate fulldome video, real time 3D computer graphics, and a digital planetarium facility...
, fulldome video
Fulldome
Fulldome refers to immersive dome-based video projection environments. The dome, horizontal or tilted, is filled with real-time or pre-rendered computer animations, live capture images, or composited environments....
projection technology.
Most of the Discovery Center's income comes from admission fees and gift shops, while the rest comes from charitable organizations such as Amarillo Area Foundation and the Harrington Foundation.
The Discovery center is a member of the Association of Children's Museums
Association of Children's Museums
The Association of Children's Museums is a Washington, D.C.–based organization that represents more than 300 children's museums in 23 countries throughout the world. The association began in 1962 as the American Association of Youth Museums and grew out of the desire for children's museums to meet...
Reciprocal Program and Association of Science-Technology Centers
Association of Science-Technology Centers
The Association of Science-Technology Centers is an international organization of science centers and science museums. Members are located in more than 40 countries...
Passport Program, allowing member to receive free or reduced admission at various museums.
Helium Centennial Time Columns Monument
Helium
Helium is the chemical element with atomic number 2 and an atomic weight of 4.002602, which is represented by the symbol He. It is a colorless, odorless, tasteless, non-toxic, inert, monatomic gas that heads the noble gas group in the periodic table...
. The Time Columns Monument is a six-story high stainless steel structure containing four time capsules, three of which form the legs of the monument and one which stands erect. The capsules are intended to be opened in 25, 50, 100, and 1000 years from the date it was erected in 1968. In 1982 the Helium Monument was airlifted by helicopter from I-40 and Nelson to its current site at the Don Harrington Discovery Center. In 1993, the first time capsule was opened, on schedule, during a two-day celebration of the 25th birthday of the monument. The contents of that capsule are in the collection of the Discovery Center, and are not typically on display to the public. Among the most interesting things stored within the monument is the passbook
Passbook
A passbook or bankbook is a paper book used to record bank transactions on a deposit account. Depending on the country or the financial institution, it can be of the dimensions of a chequebook or a passport....
in the 1000 year capsule to a bank account with a $10 deposit. It is projected to be worth $1 quadrillion
Quadrillion
Quadrillion may mean either of the two numbers :* 1,000,000,000,000,000 – for all short scale countries; increasingly common meaning in English language usage* 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 – for all...
when opened in 2968.
The monument also serves as a sun dial, its features oriented to the sun to tell the time.