For a total change of scenery today Margaret and I took Amber and Kara to the Science Museum in South Kensington, London. We caught the 0630 coach to Victoria and after a quick snack and a trip on the tube we arrived at the Science Museum at 1015. We went straight to the third floor where there were many interactive displays that we knew would fascinate the girls (and us as well).
Amber learns about the magnifying effects of lenses....
... whilst Kara finds out that certain lens combinations can cause a distorted image.
A very simple but beautiful display was produced by dropping pellets of dry ice (solid CO2) onto a water film on a backlit black background........
..... jets of CO2 gas escaping from the pellet drive it randomly across the surface.
Margaret and Amber find out that the components of an arch must be assembled in the correct sequence.
.... and we went to a demonstration on explosions and somehow Kara got in on the act!
After a spot of lunch we headed for the other exhibits. Having had an interest in the early days of aviation I found the display of historic aircraft to be fascinating.
A copy of the first ever aircraft, the Wright brother's 'The Flyer' that flew in 1903. The original is in the Smithsonian.
Bleriot's monoplane - the first to fly the Channel in 1909
The Vickers Vimy, the first plane to cross the Atlantic in 1919.
The iconic WWII aircraft - the Spitfire.
.... and the other veteran of the Battle of Britain - the Hurricane.
Messerschmitt Me 163, the world's only rocket powered fighter, Christine's partner, Malcom is writing a monograph on this most unusual aircraft.
We had now all split up as everyone wanted to see different displays. I had a look at the medical dioramas in the Wellcome Foundations exhibition.
A mock up of a Victorian pharmacy .......
.... and a of a 30's Microbiology Lab, not much different to when I started in the labs in the early 70's
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