Reuben H. Fleet Science Center
Encyclopedia
The Reuben H. Fleet Science Center is a science museum
in Balboa Park
in San Diego, California
. Established in 1973, it was the first science museum to combine interactive science exhibits with a planetarium and an IMAX
Dome (OMNIMAX) theater, setting the standard that most major science museums follow today. It is the best-attended museum in the city and is a Top 10 attraction in San Diego.
for San Diego's Balboa Park, with the possibility of an adjacent science hall. The site on Laurel Street opposite the San Diego Natural History Museum
was reserved in 1963. The planetarium would have several innovative features. First of all, the 76 feet (23.2 m) dome would be tilted 25 degrees. The audience would be placed in tiered rows facing outward into the tilted dome to give the feeling of being suspended in space. The founders also wanted to develop a large-format film projection system to show movies on the dome. The movies would use the innovative idea of filming through a fisheye lens
. This would create a highly distorted image on the film, but with a 180-degree panoramic view. When projected on the dome through another fisheye lens, the distortion would be reversed, and the original panoramic view would be recreated. The audience would have a view that was like being at the original scene. Finally, they wanted to eliminate the large dumbbell
-shaped star projector jutting from the center of the room and blocking part of the view. Such a star projector would also interfere with the movies being projected onto the dome.
The San Diego Hall of Science approached Spitz Laboratories to create a new star projector that would not obstruct the view for part of the audience or interfere with the movie projection system. Spitz created a servo-controlled "starball" that became the centerpiece of the system dubbed a "Space Transit Simulator". The spherical star projector and a number of independent planet projectors maintained a low profile while projecting a realistic sky for the astronomy presentations.
These elements, along with a number of slide projectors and lighting systems, were all controlled by a PDP-15 minicomputer. Unlike conventional planetariums, which are limited to showing the night sky as it appears from various points on the surface of the Earth at various dates, the STS could show the sky as it would appear from anywhere within about 100 astronomical units of Earth (about three times the radius of Pluto's orbit). A joystick even allowed the operator to "fly" the theater through space, showing the resulting apparent movement of planets through the sky, though in practice the planetarium presentations were always pre-programmed.
The STS was actually delivered with a flawed mirror inside. Spitz could not make a replacement and install it in time for the debut, so a local amateur telescope maker
was called-upon to make a new one. The STS was used for many years but has been replaced by a more modern projector.
For projecting movies onto the dome, the San Diego Hall of Science approached IMAX
to adapt their large-screen format. There were technical problems with adapting the IMAX system for use in the center of a dome, but IMAX was willing to address them. The San Diego Hall of Science called the new system OMNIMAX, but IMAX has since renamed the system IMAX Dome. Even though the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center—which coined the original name—now uses the new name, many theaters still call it OMNIMAX.
It was originally planned that presentations could combine images from the planetarium's star and planet projectors with scenes from OMNIMAX films, but this presented many practical problems and was never fully realized.
The planetarium opened in 1973 as the Reuben H. Fleet Space Theater and Science Center showing two features, Voyage to the Outer Planets
( a combined planetarium show and OMNIMAX film produced by Graphic Films) and the OMNIMAX film Garden Isle
(by Roger Tilton Films) on a double bill.
In addition to setting a new standard for planetariums, the science center was a pioneer in modern science museums. Following the example set four years earlier by the Exploratorium
, all exhibits in the science center were required to have something for visitors to manipulate or otherwise participate in. The combination of a planetarium, IMAX Dome theater and interactive science exhibits is now a common thread with most major science museums. However, by the late 1990s the science center had become small and outdated compared to newer science museums. In 1998 the science center was expanded and modernized to include rides such as the Virtual Zone, a motion-simulator offering virtual rides with a scientific bent. The scientific and interactive exhibits then dwarfed the planetarium/theater, so the name was changed to the current Reuben H. Fleet Science Center.
The facility has been cited as a leading example of energy efficiency and sustainability.
The museum is named for aviation pioneer Reuben H. Fleet
, who founded the U.S. Air Mail service. Fleet's San Diego-based company, Consolidated Aircraft
, built several of the famous aircraft of World War II
, including the B-24 Liberator
and PBY Catalina
. Fleet and his family made the initial gift which established the Science Center.
Science museum
A science museum or a science centre is a museum devoted primarily to science. Older science museums tended to concentrate on static displays of objects related to natural history, paleontology, geology, industry and industrial machinery, etc. Modern trends in museology have broadened the range of...
in Balboa Park
Balboa Park (San Diego)
Balboa Park is a urban cultural park in San Diego, California. The park is named after the Spanish maritime explorer Vasco Núñez de Balboa...
in San Diego, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. Established in 1973, it was the first science museum to combine interactive science exhibits with a planetarium and an IMAX
IMAX
IMAX is a motion picture film format and a set of proprietary cinema projection standards created by the Canadian company IMAX Corporation. IMAX has the capacity to record and display images of far greater size and resolution than conventional film systems...
Dome (OMNIMAX) theater, setting the standard that most major science museums follow today. It is the best-attended museum in the city and is a Top 10 attraction in San Diego.
History
Throughout the 1960s, the San Diego Hall of Science (now known as the San Diego Space and Science Foundation) was planning a new planetariumPlanetarium
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...
for San Diego's Balboa Park, with the possibility of an adjacent science hall. The site on Laurel Street opposite the San Diego Natural History Museum
San Diego Natural History Museum
The San Diego Natural History Museum was founded in 1874 as the San Diego Society of Natural History. The present location of the museum in San Diego's Balboa Park was dedicated on January 14, 1933....
was reserved in 1963. The planetarium would have several innovative features. First of all, the 76 feet (23.2 m) dome would be tilted 25 degrees. The audience would be placed in tiered rows facing outward into the tilted dome to give the feeling of being suspended in space. The founders also wanted to develop a large-format film projection system to show movies on the dome. The movies would use the innovative idea of filming through a fisheye lens
Fisheye lens
In photography, a fisheye lens is a wide-angle lens that takes in a broad, panoramic and hemispherical image. Originally developed for use in meteorology to study cloud formation and called "whole-sky lenses", fisheye lenses quickly became popular in general photography for their unique, distorted...
. This would create a highly distorted image on the film, but with a 180-degree panoramic view. When projected on the dome through another fisheye lens, the distortion would be reversed, and the original panoramic view would be recreated. The audience would have a view that was like being at the original scene. Finally, they wanted to eliminate the large dumbbell
Dumbbell
The dumbbell, a type of free weight, is a piece of equipment used in weight training. It can be used individually or in pairs .-History:...
-shaped star projector jutting from the center of the room and blocking part of the view. Such a star projector would also interfere with the movies being projected onto the dome.
The San Diego Hall of Science approached Spitz Laboratories to create a new star projector that would not obstruct the view for part of the audience or interfere with the movie projection system. Spitz created a servo-controlled "starball" that became the centerpiece of the system dubbed a "Space Transit Simulator". The spherical star projector and a number of independent planet projectors maintained a low profile while projecting a realistic sky for the astronomy presentations.
These elements, along with a number of slide projectors and lighting systems, were all controlled by a PDP-15 minicomputer. Unlike conventional planetariums, which are limited to showing the night sky as it appears from various points on the surface of the Earth at various dates, the STS could show the sky as it would appear from anywhere within about 100 astronomical units of Earth (about three times the radius of Pluto's orbit). A joystick even allowed the operator to "fly" the theater through space, showing the resulting apparent movement of planets through the sky, though in practice the planetarium presentations were always pre-programmed.
The STS was actually delivered with a flawed mirror inside. Spitz could not make a replacement and install it in time for the debut, so a local amateur telescope maker
Amateur telescope making
Amateur telescope making is the activity of building telescopes as a hobby, as opposed to being a paid professional. Amateur telescope makers build their instruments for personal enjoyment of a technical challenge, as a way to obtain an inexpensive or personally customized telescope, or as a...
was called-upon to make a new one. The STS was used for many years but has been replaced by a more modern projector.
For projecting movies onto the dome, the San Diego Hall of Science approached IMAX
IMAX
IMAX is a motion picture film format and a set of proprietary cinema projection standards created by the Canadian company IMAX Corporation. IMAX has the capacity to record and display images of far greater size and resolution than conventional film systems...
to adapt their large-screen format. There were technical problems with adapting the IMAX system for use in the center of a dome, but IMAX was willing to address them. The San Diego Hall of Science called the new system OMNIMAX, but IMAX has since renamed the system IMAX Dome. Even though the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center—which coined the original name—now uses the new name, many theaters still call it OMNIMAX.
It was originally planned that presentations could combine images from the planetarium's star and planet projectors with scenes from OMNIMAX films, but this presented many practical problems and was never fully realized.
The planetarium opened in 1973 as the Reuben H. Fleet Space Theater and Science Center showing two features, Voyage to the Outer Planets
Voyage to the Outer Planets
"Voyage to the Outer Planets" was an early multimedia experiment combining Omnimax film, 70 mm film and Planetarium special effects. The special effects and stills on standard and zoom equipped slide projectors were provided by the Reuben H. Fleet Space Theater, and their Spitz Space Transit...
( a combined planetarium show and OMNIMAX film produced by Graphic Films) and the OMNIMAX film Garden Isle
Garden Isle
Garden Isle is a 1973 short film which was the first short film made using the Omnimax or IMAX cinematographic process. It was directed by Roger Tilton....
(by Roger Tilton Films) on a double bill.
In addition to setting a new standard for planetariums, the science center was a pioneer in modern science museums. Following the example set four years earlier by the Exploratorium
Exploratorium
The Exploratorium is a museum in San Francisco with over 475 participatory exhibits, all of them made onsite, that mix science and art. It also aims to promote museums as informal education centers....
, all exhibits in the science center were required to have something for visitors to manipulate or otherwise participate in. The combination of a planetarium, IMAX Dome theater and interactive science exhibits is now a common thread with most major science museums. However, by the late 1990s the science center had become small and outdated compared to newer science museums. In 1998 the science center was expanded and modernized to include rides such as the Virtual Zone, a motion-simulator offering virtual rides with a scientific bent. The scientific and interactive exhibits then dwarfed the planetarium/theater, so the name was changed to the current Reuben H. Fleet Science Center.
The facility has been cited as a leading example of energy efficiency and sustainability.
The museum is named for aviation pioneer Reuben H. Fleet
Reuben H. Fleet
Reuben Hollis Fleet was an American aviation pioneer, industrialist and army officer. Fleet founded and led several corporations, most notably Consolidated Aircraft.-Birth and early career:...
, who founded the U.S. Air Mail service. Fleet's San Diego-based company, Consolidated Aircraft
Consolidated Aircraft
The Consolidated Aircraft Corporation was founded in 1923 by Reuben H. Fleet, the result of the Gallaudet Aircraft Company's liquidation and Fleet's purchase of designs from the Dayton-Wright Company as the subsidiary was being closed by its parent corporation, General Motors. Consolidated became...
, built several of the famous aircraft of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, including the B-24 Liberator
B-24 Liberator
The Consolidated B-24 Liberator was an American heavy bomber, designed by Consolidated Aircraft of San Diego, California. It was known within the company as the Model 32, and a small number of early models were sold under the name LB-30, for Land Bomber...
and PBY Catalina
PBY Catalina
The Consolidated PBY Catalina was an American flying boat of the 1930s and 1940s produced by Consolidated Aircraft. It was one of the most widely used multi-role aircraft of World War II. PBYs served with every branch of the United States Armed Forces and in the air forces and navies of many other...
. Fleet and his family made the initial gift which established the Science Center.