Israel National Museum of Science, Technology, and Space facts for kids
| מדעטק – המוזיאון הלאומי למדע, טכנולוגיה וחלל | |
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The museum facade
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| Established | 1983 |
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| Location | 25 Shmaryahu Levin St., Hadar HaCarmel, Haifa 31448, Israel |
| Type | National Museum of Science, Technology and Space |
| Visitors | 300,000 per year |
| Owner | Israel |
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The Israel National Museum of Science, Technology, and Space, also known as Madatech, is an exciting science and technology museum in Haifa, Israel. It's a place where you can explore the wonders of science and learn about amazing inventions. Around 200,000 people visit this museum every year to discover its cool exhibits.
Contents
History of Madatech
The Madatech museum first opened its doors in 1983. It is located in a very special old building. This building was originally designed to be the first home of the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology, a famous science university.
A German Jewish architect named Alexander Baerwald started designing the building in 1912. A fun fact: the famous scientist Albert Einstein visited the Technion in 1923. He even planted one of the palm trees in the museum's courtyard, which you can still see today!
Explore Permanent Exhibitions
Madatech has many exciting exhibits that are always there for you to explore. These exhibits cover different areas of science and technology.
- Green Energy: Learn all about how we can use clean energy. This includes a special "My Green Home" area.
- Acoustics Hall: Discover the science of sound and how it travels.
- Puzzle Games: Challenge your brain with fun and tricky puzzles.
- Between Mount Carmel and the Sea: See amazing taxidermy animals from the local area.
- A Matter of Chemistry: Explore the world of chemicals and how they react.
- Imagine (Ilan Ramon): This exhibit is about space and dreams, inspired by Israeli astronaut Ilan Ramon.
- The Secrets of Life – DNA: Dive into the tiny world of DNA and genetics.
- Smile! It's Science: Learn all about teeth and dental health in a fun way.
- Fly High – Aviation Exhibition: Discover the science of flight and airplanes.
- Leonardo da Vinci – Scientist & Engineer: See models and learn about the amazing inventions of Leonardo da Vinci.
- Magical Science: Explore the scientific secrets behind what looks like magic!
Science Park Discoveries
In 2011, the outdoor area between the two main museum buildings was transformed into a fantastic science park. This park celebrates famous scientists and inventors throughout history. It showcases their important discoveries.
The park is divided into five special courtyards. Each courtyard is dedicated to a famous scientist like Archimedes, Daniel Bernoulli, Isaac Newton, Leonardo da Vinci, and Pythagoras. You can also find exhibits about protecting our environment. There's even an amphitheater that can hold up to 400 visitors. In the middle of the amphitheater, a cool fountain creates water shows with colorful lights!
The idea for this science park started in 2008. Many people worked together to plan and build it. The museum's team, along with architects, designed and created all the exhibits.
Exciting Summer Exhibitions
Since 2008, Madatech brings in a new, special exhibition every summer. These exhibitions usually stay open for about a year. A building that used to be a workshop was changed into a new education wing. This wing now hosts these changing exhibitions, a movie theater called "CinematriX," classrooms, and labs. It also serves as another entrance to the museum.
Dinosaurs: The Giants of Patagonia
In July 2008, Madatech launched a huge exhibition called "Dinosaurs: The Giants of Patagonia." It showed giant dinosaur skeleton replicas found in Patagonia, Argentina. This was the first time such an exhibition came to Israel! You could see fifteen different skeletons, including two huge Giganotosaurus dinosaurs.
At the same time, dinosaur statues were placed all around the city of Haifa. These statues were the same shape but painted differently by artists, students, and other groups. People loved seeing these dinosaurs! The exhibition ended in March 2009, but some dinosaur statues can still be found around Haifa.
Robotic World Adventures
In summer 2010, the "Robotic World" exhibition opened. It featured amazing animal-like robots, such as a giraffe, a platypus, a cuttlefish, and a bat. These displays came from an international exhibition called "Robot Zoo." The exhibition also showed different robots and inventions from Israel's robot industry.
A highlight was the "Robotic Show," where museum instructors demonstrated humanoid robots like "Nao" and robotic dogs like "AIBO." They explained how these robots perform different actions.
Sport Science Fun
Opened in June 2011, the "Sport Science" exhibition explored sport and physical activity from a scientific point of view. Many exhibits came from a Canadian exhibition, with some new ones added. You could learn about different scientific principles through interactive displays. For example, you could test your balance and learn about how your inner ear helps you stay steady.
101 Inventions That Changed the World
This amazing visual display opened in July 2012. It featured a 32-minute film shown on 22 huge screens. The film presented 101 inventions from different time periods. You could learn about 32 of them in detail on the main screen. Another room in the exhibition building had about 50 more inventions with explanations on interactive touch screens.
Beyond Planet Earth
Opened in March 2013, this exhibition showed what future human journeys into the Solar System and beyond might look like. The first part looked back at the first 50 years of space exploration. It showed Russian spacecraft like Sputnik and Vostok, and American missions like Apollo and the Opportunity rover.
Ships and the Sea Exploration
This exhibition, brought from the "Eureka" science museum in Helsinki, Finland, opened in April 2014. It explored the world of ships, the sea, and seamanship. The main idea was the journey from the open sea to the shore. Visitors passed through areas about surviving in the ocean, how ships sail, sea research, the ship's bridge, and work in a modern port. It also covered Invasive species in the Mediterranean Sea.
Education Wing Programs
The Education Wing at Madatech is a special center that helps students and other visitors learn more about science, technology, and space. It has classrooms and laboratories. The wing offers many different educational programs. These programs cover subjects like physics and astronomy, chemistry, environmental quality, mathematics, robotics, genetics, electricity, and information security technologies.
Wanger Family Fab-Lab
The Fab lab is a cool place where you can plan, design, and create things using digital tools. It has computer stations for designing, 3D printers, a laser cutting system, and a station for putting things together. It's like a workshop for the digital age!
CinematriX Movie Theater
In 2004, a new movie theater called "CinematriX" opened at Madatech. It's a theater that uses all your senses! Movies are shown in 3D, so you wear special glasses. The chairs have two speakers for amazing sound. During the movie, the chairs move and even give you a little shake, matching what's happening on screen. Plus, there are light effects, soap bubbles, and sometimes even smells!
List of CinematriX Movies
Here are some of the exciting movies you can watch at CinematriX:
- Across the Universe (since 2005): An adventure deep into outer space.
- Hocus Science Focus (since 2006): Discover the scientific ideas behind famous magic tricks.
- The Human Body Adventure (since 2007): A journey inside the different systems of our body.
- Fire Ball (since 2009, Hebrew only): Experience volcanic eruptions and feel earthquakes.
- Building the World (since 2009, Hebrew only): Learn how skyscrapers are built and the science behind strong buildings.
- Learning to Fly (since 2010): From migrating birds to flying with airplanes.
Some movies are usually shown during guided school tours, not on regular museum days:
- Super-Kid (since 2006, Hebrew only): Learn about traffic safety through an exciting journey.
Netrix Center
Netrix is an innovative center that was completed in summer 2008. Located in the Education Wing, it explores the internet and its connection to technology and the future. At the entrance, screens show a game called "the evolution of the internet." You can see important internet events from the 1960s onwards, like the start of Microsoft and the first email. It even shows a video about futuristic lifestyles!
In the main hall, a tall pole covered in LCD screens displays popular news sites in Israel. On one side, a large screen shows the Google Earth program. In two corners, you'll find Wii consoles by Nintendo. These show how the future is already here, letting players control games with hand movements or by improving their balance on Wii-fit. Special floor screens can even warn you about unsafe online surfing or chatting.
In summer 2011, a PlayStation 3 with a PlayStation Move controller and an Xbox 360 with a Kinect sensor were added. Kinect uses your body as the game controller!
- Note: The Netrix center is currently not active. It is expected to be updated and reopened in a new, modern format.
Images for kids
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Dinosaurs: The Giants of Patagonia Exhibition
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Wright Brothers' first motor plane replica, MadaTech
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Fly High – Aviation Exhibition, MadaTech
See also
In Spanish: Museo Nacional de Ciencia, Tecnología y Espacio de Israel para niños
