She was the grandest, most luxurious moving object ever built. No other story in history has captured our hearts and imaginations like hers. Experience the finest ship ever built in a new exhibit Titanic: The Artifact Exhibit, exclusively at the Houston Museum of Natural Science opening May 18, 2002.
Titanic: The Artifact Exhibit presents the history, science and drama of the famous, ill-fated ocean liner, which was once touted as unsinkable. On April 14, 1912, just days into her maiden voyage, Titanic struck an iceberg and sank. Over 2,200 lives were forever changed as history was etched with one of the most moving events of our time. Five generations later, the mere mention of Titanics name still sends chills racing up our spines.
The Houston Museum of Natural Science brings this timeless story to life, through hundreds of artifacts recovered from the ocean floor, life-size room re-creations and personal stories. Feel the impact as you view some of these wonderful treasures. Learn the stories wrapped around these relics and the legacies of those who left them behind. They are compelling, personal, sad, lovely and completely unforgettable.
Titanic: The Artifact Exhibit invites you to admire, experience, learn and remember the most magnificent ship ever built and one of the greatest maritime tragedies of all time.
The exhibit features the worlds largest collection of Titanic artifacts ever recovered from the ocean floor. Hundreds of artifacts are featured in the exhibit, including a selection of White Star Line dishware, binoculars, musical instruments and personal effects like letters, jewelry, eyeglasses and clothing.
Titanic s story comes alive with a simulated iceberg you can touch. The iceberg offers a tangible way for guests to identify with what passengers on board Titanic endured on that terrible night.
The exhibit takes you through the story of Titanic chronologically – from the creation of the ship; to the elegance of being on board; to the collision with the iceberg; through the sinking and the ultimate discovery and recovery of the ship and her treasures. The galleries within the exhibit include accurate re-constructions of features such as the first and third class living quarters and below-deck areas.
Recovering Titanics artifacts posed serious challenges for those involved. Man walked on the moon almost two decades before exploring and performing work on the bottom of the ocean. Descending to those ocean depths, given the immense pressure, presents a technical challenge more difficult than traveling into space. It has been said that the North Atlantic Ocean is the most hostile environment known to man.
Successfully recovering artifacts from Titanic s wreckage site, 2.5 miles beneath the ocean surface, requires cutting edge technology, including the use of the submersibles, Nautile and Mir. Learn the fascinating details about the science behind the discovery, including a demonstration of techniques used to restore the artifacts.
Public fascination with Titanic began long before her ill-fated maiden voyage, and it continues today as we re-discover the fragments left behind after the most tragic journey ever. Join the Houston Museum of Natural Science for this limited engagement May 18, 2002 through January 5, 2003. Tickets are $9 for members, $17 for adults and $14.50 for seniors (62+) and children (3-1 1). Tickets include an audio tour of the exhibit (with the exception of school groups) and general admission to the Museums permanent exhibition halls. Due to the popularity of this exhibit, tickets are sold on a timed-entry basis. Visitors are encouraged to buy tickets in advance. Save time. Buy online. Click and print your tickets at www.hmns.org or call 713-639-4629. The website also has information on group sales, discounted tickets for members and other Titanic related programming, including a new planetarium show, IMAX film, lectures and workshops. Ticket packages are available for Titanic: The Artifact Exhibit, the IMAX film Titanica and the planetarium show Night of the Titanic at a discounted price. Titanic: The Artifact Exhibit is a Clear Channel Entertainment event, in association with R.M.S. Titanic, Inc.
The Houston Museum of Natural Science, a private non-profit organization, has an annual attendance figure of 2.3 million visitors, ranking it as the most heavily attended museum in the country. The Museum is home to the Burke Baker Planetarium, Wortham IMAX Theatre, Cockrell Butterfly Center and three floors of natural science halls and exhibits.
Located in Hermann Park, the Museum is open Monday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
For more information call 713-639-4629 or save time and buy online at www.hmns,org.
For information in Spanish call 713-639-4603.