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MOSI opens high wire bicycle exhibit

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The longest high wire bicycle in a U.S. museum has recently opened as a permanent exhibit at MOSI, Tampa's Museum of Science & Industry.

Guests will be able to peddle MOSI's Sky Bike across a 98-foot-long, one-inch steel cable suspended 30 feet above the ground -- eye-level with the diplodocus dinosaur skeletons. As death defying as it sounds, it is quite safe as the bicycle is counterweighted. However a safety net will be placed below the ride to set riders' minds at ease and guests will be harnessed onto the bike.

The exhibit demonstrates the physics of gravity, balance, and counterweight. The center of gravity is the middle point around which the total mass in an object is evenly distributed. A counterweight -- a weight balancing another weight -- hangs below the bike and lowers the center of gravity below the wire, making it impossible for the bicycle to tip over.

The high wire bike will be staffed during regular museum hours and there is no extra charge to ride the bicycle.

Another new MOSI feature is “Journey into Amazing Caves,” now playing in the IMAX dome theater through mid November.

Infinitely mysterious and radical by definition, caves are one of Earth's last unexplored frontiers. For those compelled to push their limits in the world's most hostile environments, the risk of fatal danger and the thrill of new discovery are the everyday factors that make cave exploration such an awe-inspiring experience.

Now, for the first time, audiences can squeeze into Earth's alien, hidden realms guided by two women cavers on the quest of a lifetime: daring to enter caves so remote and so threatening, exploring them is like exploring a new planet.

MOSI is the largest science center in the southeastern United States and home of the only IMAX Theatre in Florida. In all, MOSI offers more than 450 "minds-on" interactive activities.

MOSI is located in north Tampa at 4801 E. Fowler Ave., across from the USF Sun Dome, and just one mile from Busch Gardens. Parking is free at MOSI.

To reach MOSI, take I-75 to Fowler Avenue (Exit 54 West). Proceed westbound for 2 1/2 miles to the traffic light at MOSI, and turn left.

MOSI is open 365 days a year. The museum opens daily at 9 a.m. and closing hours change by the season. Check www.mosi.org for current information, and look for a discount coupon to print out.

Admission is $13 for adults, $11 for seniors, $9 for children ages 2-13 and free for children under 2.