The Science Museum Oklahoma is a science museum in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The museum is home to the Kirkpatrick Planetarium and a dome theater, as well as a number of specialized galleries.

History

The museum began as the Kirkpatrick Planetarium in 1958, which moved to a permanent dome at the Oklahoma State Fairgrounds in 1962. Later that year, the Oklahoma Science and Arts Foundation was founded on the fairgrounds. In 1978 the foundation changed its name to Omniplex Science Museum, then moved with the Kirkpatrick Planetarium to the newly built Kirkpatrick Center museum campus. Later additions include the Oklahoma Air and Space Museum in 1980, the Kirkpatrick Gardens and Greenhouse in 1985, and the OmniDome Theater in 1998, Oklahoma's first large-format, dome-screen theater. In 2007 Omniplex changed its name to Science Museum Oklahoma. Since the rebranding the museum has undergone extrnsive remodeling adding countless new exhibits and galleries included a kid friendly space exhibit and three new art galleries

Kirkpatrick Air and Space Museum

This section of the museum preserves and honors the contributions of Oklahomans to aerospace. Notable artifacts include the Apollo Command Module simulator, an Apollo Lunar Module replica built by Canadian inventor William Lishman, and artifacts related to Oklahoman aviator Wiley Post. Some of the artifacts are currently on loan to the Oklahoma History Center, which opened in November 2005.

The museum houses the Oklahoma Aviation and Space Hall of Fame, which has a new second floor exhibit with pictures and biographies of the inductees. The main exhibit hall with historical exhibits including full-scale models of Mercury, Gemini and Apollo capsules as well as the actual Apollo Command Module Simulator used to train Apollo astronauts, is currently closed for construction. The room can still be seen from a balcony in an obscure AWAC exhibit.

International Photography Hall of Fame and Museum

This gallery is a tribute to the art and technology of photography. It is home to the world's largest "photo-mural", a laserscape of the Grand Canyon. The gallery also holds a large collection of prints and original Kodak camera equipment. Currently, an exhibition showcasing night and fashion photography by University of Central Oklahoma.

International Photography Hall of Fame official site

Red Earth Museum

Recently renovated, this museum examines Native American cultures and lifestyles. Various artifacts and pieces of artwork are on display, including an extensive collection of cradleboards from multiple tribes across the country.

International Gymnastics Hall of Fame

The International Gymnastics Hall of Fame is located inside Science Museum Oklahoma, and features collections of medals, apparatus, and awards, various pieces of sculptures, and a library. The organization dedicated to honoring those who have furthered the sport of gymnastics. Inductees include Nadia Comaneci, Olga Korbut, Bart Conner, Valery Liukin, Mary Lou Retton, Larisa Latynina, Nikolai Andrianov, and Vera Caslavska.

The Dome Theater

The Dome Theater is currenty the only theater of its kind in Oklahoma City. It is a large format theater running 15/70MM film. The bulb inside the projector is 15,000 Watts.

Notes

External links

• Official site