<span class="SFPTagline"> From SCIFIPEDIA </span>

The Science Fiction Museum & Hall of Fame (SFM) opened its doors in May of 2004. It's housed in a unique building designed by architect Frank Gehry that's also the home of the popular music museum Experience Music Project. The museum sits at the base of Seattle's famous landmark, the Space Needle. The Seattle Monorail literally runs through the building.

The museum has on display props and memorabilia from many SF movies and television shows. The genre’s foundations in literature are strongly emphasized. The galleries are organized by theme, so items from various media are exhibited together to illustrate the ideas. For example, the “What If?” exhibit contains the special-effects model of E. T. used in the filming of E.T. - The Extra-Terrestrial (What if your best friend were an alien?), alongside author Neal Stephenson’s four-foot-high handwritten manuscript of the "Baroque Cycle" (What if you set a science fiction novel in the past?).

SFM is divided into four major galleries:

• Homeworld looks at some of the most well-known icons of SF, such as Star Trek, as well as SF fandom.

• Fantastic Voyages is about the tools, weapons, clothing, and travel technologies found in SF.
• Amazing Places covers the alien worlds and societies found in SF.
• Them! features the beings—both biological and robotic—that are found in SF.

Some of the notable artifacts in the museum include the special-effects model of the Death Star from Star Wars, E. E. "Doc" Smith’s original hand-typed manuscript of The Skylark of Space, and the Alien Queen and Power loader from Aliens.

Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, a life-long science fiction fan, founded the museum, and many of the artifacts on display are on loan from his personal collection. The museum is now operated as an independent, nonprofit organization.

The Science Fiction Hall of Fame actually predates the museum, having been founded in 1996 by the Kansas City Science Fiction and Fantasy Society and the Center for the Study of Science Fiction. Starting in 2004, the Hall of Fame moved to SFM, and at the same time broadened its mandate. Originally it only honored authors, but now inductees can be anyone who has made a significant contribution to the field of science fiction. The 2005 inductees included space artist Chesley Bonestell, and filmmakers Ray Harryhausen and Steven Spielberg, and the 2006 inductees were George Lucas, Frank Herbert, Anne McCaffrey, and Frank Kelly Freas.

External Links

• Official Site