Well after a short absence to move and celebrate Christmas and New Year’s and of course head home to Calgary, I have made a few trips to DC to attempt to finish visiting all the Smithsonian Museums. (I am not done quite yet but the list is getting much smaller).
I found myself with a few days off and decided to head to the National Air and Space Museum. This is the most visited of all the Smithsonian museums. However I have learned that it actually only holds about 10% of the Air and Space articles the Smithsonian has on display. The rest are at the other Air and Space Museum that is in Chantilly, Virginia. Of course that museum is still on the list and hopefully in the next few weeks I will head there too.
So I planned on spending the entire day at the museum but who knew that I actually would. I arrived just after 1130 and left just before closing at 1730 (that’s 5:30pm for you Mom). Not only did I go through the entire museum but I also saw 2 IMAX shows (one of them was called Adrenaline Rush made by a Canadian film maker all about sky diving and base jumping and that kind of thing, the other one was the Space Station 3D all about the building of the international space station and of course it was in 3D so it was really neat), and I saw Cosmic Collisions in the Planetarium…..well actually I watched it twice because the museum was really dead and they let me watch it a second time. I usually go to the museums during the week (smaller crowds) and during the week in the winter is just plain great.
Anyway, other than the movies and all that stuff I did see all the exhibits as well. Here are a few of the things I saw. I hope I have gotten all the names of things right but let’s face it I know very little about space exploration and even less about planes (except I am not a fan of flying) but I will try to be as accurate as possible.
This plane asks an important question doesn’t it? This plan was labelled a Mustang P-51D. If I am remembering correctly I found it in the World War II Aviation room. In case your eyes are not so good, the plane asks "Willit Run?"
This is the Polar Star. In November 1935, explorer Lincoln Ellesworth and pilot Herbert Hollick-Kenyon flew the Polar Star across Antarctica to Little America; however they were forced to land 40 kilometres (25 miles) short of their destination. They then took 6 days to walk the rest of the way. They were later picked by a British Research vessel. Herbert eventually returned to Antarctica to recover the plane. I think the penguins are a good touch aren’t they?
Imagine how cheap and easy it use to be to buy travel insurance.
I am glad I never had to make a flight in one of these. I am not a fan of flying in the first place but the bigger the plane the better.
Yes this is it!! This is the original Wright Flyer that the Wright Brother’s flew in 1903 making the first powered aircraft to make a sustained flight with a pilot aboard. It actually made 4 flights on December 17, 1903 but really it only needed to make one for us to remember. The canvass was replaced by the museum in 1985 so it does look newer than it is. I must say it was very fun to see such a huge piece of history up close and personal.
This is a one-fourth scale model of the balloon in which humans first flew. The historic ascent took place in Paris France in 1783. The balloon reached an altitude of 600-900 metres (2,000-3,000 feet) and travelled about 8 kilometres (5 miles).
Here are a few more of the planes that grace the museum. Sorry I don’t know all the names.
Julie
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