Fernbank Science Center
Encyclopedia
The Fernbank Science Center is a museum, classroom, and woodland complex located in Atlanta. It is owned and operated by DeKalb County School System
. The nearby Fernbank Museum of Natural History
is a private non-profit organization that is separate from, but works closely with, the Science Center.
are open for public shows on specific occasions.
The mission of the Science Center is to provide and promote an understanding of science and technology and to communicate to its visitors the harmony and order of the natural world. Fernbank contains many materials for instruction, including dinosaur
skeletons, rocks and minerals, a collection of tektites, an Aeronautics Education Laboratory and an electron microscope
lab. The center also has an authentic Apollo
spacecraft
from the unmanned Apollo 6
Saturn V
test flight and is home to a planetarium
with a 70 feet (21.3 m)-diameter projection dome.
The Science Center also contains botanical collections, including tropical and succulent plants, maintains the Robert L. Staton Rose Garden (at 767 Clifton Road) which contains over 1,500 roses, and offers access to Fernbank Forest
, a 65 acres (263,045.9 m²) undisturbed, mature mixed hardwood forest with labeled trees, shrubs, ferns, and wild flowers.
DeKalb County School System
DeKalb County School System is a school district headquartered at 1701 Mountain Industrial Boulevard in unincorporated DeKalb County, Georgia, United States...
. The nearby Fernbank Museum of Natural History
Fernbank Museum of Natural History
Fernbank Museum of Natural History, in Atlanta, is a museum in that presents exhibitions and programming about natural history that are meant to entertain as well as educate the public. Its mission is to encourage a greater appreciation of the planet and its people...
is a private non-profit organization that is separate from, but works closely with, the Science Center.
Overview
The Fernbank Science Center opened in December 1967, and is an educational facility and an integral part of the DeKalb County School System. It provides programs for the science education of local students, pre-K-12. Both its planetarium and observatoryObservatory
An observatory is a location used for observing terrestrial or celestial events. Astronomy, climatology/meteorology, geology, oceanography and volcanology are examples of disciplines for which observatories have been constructed...
are open for public shows on specific occasions.
The mission of the Science Center is to provide and promote an understanding of science and technology and to communicate to its visitors the harmony and order of the natural world. Fernbank contains many materials for instruction, including dinosaur
Dinosaur
Dinosaurs are a diverse group of animals of the clade and superorder Dinosauria. They were the dominant terrestrial vertebrates for over 160 million years, from the late Triassic period until the end of the Cretaceous , when the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event led to the extinction of...
skeletons, rocks and minerals, a collection of tektites, an Aeronautics Education Laboratory and an electron microscope
Electron microscope
An electron microscope is a type of microscope that uses a beam of electrons to illuminate the specimen and produce a magnified image. Electron microscopes have a greater resolving power than a light-powered optical microscope, because electrons have wavelengths about 100,000 times shorter than...
lab. The center also has an authentic Apollo
Project Apollo
The Apollo program was the spaceflight effort carried out by the United States' National Aeronautics and Space Administration , that landed the first humans on Earth's Moon. Conceived during the Presidency of Dwight D. Eisenhower, Apollo began in earnest after President John F...
spacecraft
Spacecraft
A spacecraft or spaceship is a craft or machine designed for spaceflight. Spacecraft are used for a variety of purposes, including communications, earth observation, meteorology, navigation, planetary exploration and transportation of humans and cargo....
from the unmanned Apollo 6
Apollo 6
Apollo 6, launched on April 4, 1968, was the Apollo program's second and last A type mission—unmanned test flight of its Saturn V launch vehicle. It was intended to demonstrate full lunar injection capability of the Saturn V, and the capability of the Command Module's heat shield to withstand a...
Saturn V
Saturn V
The Saturn V was an American human-rated expendable rocket used by NASA's Apollo and Skylab programs from 1967 until 1973. A multistage liquid-fueled launch vehicle, NASA launched 13 Saturn Vs from the Kennedy Space Center, Florida with no loss of crew or payload...
test flight and is home to 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...
with a 70 feet (21.3 m)-diameter projection dome.
The Science Center also contains botanical collections, including tropical and succulent plants, maintains the Robert L. Staton Rose Garden (at 767 Clifton Road) which contains over 1,500 roses, and offers access to Fernbank Forest
Fernbank Forest
Fernbank Forest is a 65-acre mature mixed forest located at the Fernbank Science Center in Atlanta, Georgia. It has one of the few remnants of original forest vegetation in the Georgia Piedmont; as such, it has been extensively studied by scientists. Large specimens of white oak and tulip poplar,...
, a 65 acres (263,045.9 m²) undisturbed, mature mixed hardwood forest with labeled trees, shrubs, ferns, and wild flowers.