Museum of Natural Science offers sneak peek of expanded energy hall

Officials with the Houston Museum of Natural Science announced this week that construction of a greatly expanded Wiess Energy Hall at the museum is about 70 percent complete.

This week, the museum gave the Houston Chronicle an exclusive sneak peek of the renovated hall, which will be on the fourth floor. That space was previously used for storage and off-limits to the public.

The $40 million project was born from museum officials’ idea to tell an expanded story about the science behind energy development, a field that has greatly evolved since the hall’s last update.

The new hall is quadruple the size of the old hall and features many new exhibits. One of those exhibits is the Eagle Ford Shale Experience, or “EFX 3000,” which simulates a ride to the south Texas field and down into the borehole of an oil well.

A worker walks past a drill platform exhibit as construction continues on the new Weiss Energy Hall at the Houston Museum of Natural Science on Wednesday, March 1, 2017, in Houston. The exhibit is scheduled to open in November. less A worker walks past a drill platform exhibit as construction continues on the new Weiss Energy Hall at the Houston Museum of Natural Science on Wednesday, March 1, 2017, in Houston. The exhibit is scheduled to ... more Photo: Brett Coomer, Houston Chronicle Photo: Brett Coomer, Houston Chronicle Image 1 of / 23 Caption Close Museum of Natural Science offers sneak peek of expanded energy hall 1 / 23 Back to Gallery

Also, the museum has reimagined the former “Geovator,” a simulated elevator ride through the Earth’s geological layers. The new exhibit features a holographic pilot and takes visitors back in time for an attack by hungry pteranodons and meteor strike.

Not only do the new or retooled exhibits delve into the science of traditional hydrocarbon formation, many offer a detailed exploration of wind, solar and geothermal energy.

The museum plans to open “Weiss Energy Hall 3.0” to the public in November.