on a base of granite. Shortly after installation, the Grand Kugel began to crack. The crack eventually spread through the sphere, rendering it unfloatable. A replacement kugel ball was installed in October 2005. The original kugel is still on display behind the museum. In the former train loading area which has been redeveloped, large static displays now include: Chesapeake and Ohio Railway (C&O) steam locomotive and tender, Kanawha class # 2732 Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac Railroad (RF&P) "Car One" business car Aluminaut, the world's first aluminum submarine, designed by and built for Richmond-based Reynolds Metals Company in the 1960s, also notable for helping recover a "lost" U.S. atomic bomb in 1966. In 2014 the Museum upgraded its five-story theater, The Dome, with a new digital projection system. In 2016 the Museum opened a new permanent exhibition, Speed, with an SR-71 Blackbird suspended from the ceiling. The Blackbird was relocated from the Virginia Aviation Museum near the Richmond International Airport. In 2017 the ambitious exhibition Da Vinci—Alive the Experience opened to the public. This travelling exhibition of the art and science of Leonardo da Vinci was developed by Grande Exhibitions in Australia, under the auspices of the Commune di Roma, Commune di Firenze and Citta di Venezia, with the assistance of Pascal Cotte of Lumiere Technology, France. Affiliated museums In addition to the Broad Street location, the Danville Science Center in Danville, Virginia is affiliated with the Science Museum of Virginia. References External links Science Museum of Virginia Science museums in Virginia Institutions accredited by the American Alliance of Museums Planetaria in the United States Museums in Richmond, Virginia John Russell Pope buildings Museums established in 1970 1970 establishments in Virginia