|
|
| Exhibitions |  Featured. Our banner this month represents the vertical flight exhibit at the Udvar-Hazy Center. The majority of the Museum's vertical flight collection was in storage until the expansive Udvar-Hazy Center opened in 2003. Among those now on display, shown from front to back in the banner, are the Bell Model 30 Ship 1A Genevieve, Bell Model 47B, and Bell H-13J helicopters. The Bell Model 30 proved that an affordable commercial helicopter was feasible and it led directly to the Bell Model 47. This rotorcraft remained in worldwide service longer than any other helicopter. The Museum's Bell H-13J was the first helicopter to carry a United States president, Dwight Eisenhower.
Also on display, shown in the photo above, is the innovative two-seat AC-35 Autogiro, which was developed for a Department of Commerce competition to create an aerial "Model T." After folding back the rotors, the pilot could switch engine power to the rear drive wheel, allowing street speeds of 40 km/h (25 mph). |
| Feature Story from Air & Space Magazine | |
 Bradbury Meets the Astronauts. Read this short piece about the time in 1967 when science fiction author Ray Bradbury, who recently died, met a group of Apollo astronauts.
Photo courtesy of California State University Northridge |
| This Month in Aviation and Space History | |
 Two Earhart-related Milestones. On July 19 seventy-five years ago, Amelia Earhart and Fred Noonan were declared lost at sea after disappearing mysteriously on their round-the-world flight attempt. Their disappearance spawned intense speculation about their fate that still continues today. Earhart was flying a Lockheed Electra 10-E. The Museum does not have any Electras in the collection, but the model at left is on display in the Barron Hilton Pioneers of Flight Gallery in the Museum in Washington, DC.
Read about the speculation surrounding Earhart's and Noonan's disappearance in this AirSpace blog post by Museum curator Dom Pisano.
In a related milestone, it was 85 years ago on July 4 when the Lockheed Vega made its first flight. Earhart flew an all-red Vega when she became the second person to fly solo across the Atlantic in 1932.
|
| Test your Knowledge |  What does STOVL stand for? Answer. Read about a STOVL aircraft in the Museum's collection, the Lockheed Martin X-35B, shown at left. |
| What's New in Planetary Science |  A report titled "Hesperian age for western Medusae Fossae Formation, Mars" by Museum scientists Jim Zimbelman and Stephen Scheidt was published in the June 29 issue of the journal Science. It presents results derived from NASA-supported geologic mapping of Mars, which includes the region targeted for the August landing of the Mars Science Laboratory, nicknamed Curiosity. This mapping of the Medusae Fossae Formation (MFF) -- an intensely eroded deposit near the northern edge of the cratered highlands -- has revealed a wider distribution of its western component than was previously recognized. Crater counts show that the western portions of the MFF are much older than previously thought, originating around 3.5 billion years ago. More information |
| New on the AirSpace Blog |
 | | NASA photo |
Desegration of Airports in the American South, by Anke Ortlepp, National Air and Space Museum Verville Fellow
Hypersonic Flight, by John Anderson, Aeronautics curator
Why Should you Care about the Transit of Venus?, by astronomy educator Geneviève de Messieres
Birds of a Feather, by museum specialist Beth Wilson
Ray Bradbury and the Lost Planetarium Show, by writer-editor David Romanowski |
| Wall of Honor | |
 Make Your Loved One's Name Last Forever. Help support the National Air and Space Museum by contributing $100 or more and your name, or the name of someone you wish to honor, will be seen by millions of visitors for generations to come.
You will also receive a handsome Certificate of Registry suitable for framing and have the opportunity to submit a Wall of Honor profile and photograph of your honoree that will be available for viewing on the Museum's web site.
Make a Wall of Honor donation.
If you have questions, contact us at wallofhonor@si.edu or 202-633-2603. |
 Mariner 10 Installation. A flight spare of the Mariner 10 spacecraft is shown here being installed in the Time and Navigation gallery, currently under construction. The gallery is scheduled to open in the spring of 2013 at the Museum in Washington, DC. Mariner 10 was the first spacecraft to use the gravitational pull of one planet (Venus) to reach another (Mercury), and the first probe to visit two planets. |
 The Planet Venus. The surface of Venus is perpetually covered by a veil of thick clouds and remains hidden from even the powerful telescopic eyes of earth-bound astronomers. But in the early 1990s, using imaging radar, the Venus orbiting Magellan spacecraft was able to lift the veil from the face of Venus and produced spectacular high resolution images of the planet's surface. Colors used in this computer generated picture of Magellan radar data are based on color images from the surface of Venus transmitted by the Soviet Venera 13 and 14 landers. The bright area running roughly across the middle represents the largest highland region of Venus known as Aphrodite Terra.
|
|
 Unusual Flight Gear. This US Navy flying helmet has a Mouton fur lining and exterior collar with a full leather mask. It was worn by Lt. Apollo Soucek when he flew a Wright XF3W Apache fighter to a record altitude of 13,160 meters (43,166 feet) on June 4, 1930, over Washington, D.C. He wore this fur helmet to survive the flight in the Apache's open cockpit. You can see this helmet in person in the Boeing Aviation Hangar at the Udvar-Hazy Center.
For more photos, search through the online collections imagery database. |
| Shop the SmithsonianStore.com |  Pilot Sunglasses. No need for military action, he'll be a topgun when he sports these polarized lens shades. The handsome frames are silvertone metal. |
|
Annual John H. Glenn Lecture
NASA's Legacy and Future: Personal Reflections of a Space Flyer
Presenter: NASA Administrator and Former Astronaut Charles F. Bolden, Jr.
Wednesday, June 27, 8:00 pm
At the Museum in Washington, DC
This lecture is sold out but you can request standby tickets or watch it from home via live or archived webcast. |
|
Independence Day Concert
Wednesday, July 4, 6:00 - 7:00 pm
At the Museum in Washington, DC |
|
Symposium
Telstar 50th Anniversary
Thursday, July 12, 1:45 to 4:00 pm
At the Museum in Washington, DC |
|
Mars Day!
Friday, July 13, 10:00 am - 3:00 pm
At the Museum in Washington, DC |
|
Recurring Activities
Summer Concert Series
At the Museum in Washington, DC
Featuring ensembles from the US Air Force and US Navy
Every Wednesday at 12:30 pm through August 1
Super Science Saturdays
At the Udvar-Hazy Center
Every second Saturday, this month: July 14; Topic: Weather
Demonstrations and hands-on activities related to aviation and space science
This series is made possible by the generous support of FBR.
Saturday Star Parties
At Sky Meadows State Park, near Paris, VA
Variable schedule through November 10; this month: July 21, 8:00 - 11:00 pm
Observe the night sky with astronomers to guide you
"Flights of Fancy" Stories for Children
At the Museum in Washington, DC
Variable schedule
A flight or space-related story and art activity recommended for ages 3-8
This event is made possible by the generous support of the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation.
Ask an Expert Lectures
At both locations
Wednesday, Noon, Washington, DC building
Second and fourth Thursdays, 12:30, Udvar-Hazy Center
Short talks about objects in the Museum and aviation- and space-related topics
Author Book Signings
At both locations
Variable schedule
Buy a book, have it autographed, and take home a great memento or gift.
Public Observatory
At the Museum in Washington, DC
Wednesdays through Saturdays from 1:00 to 3:00 pm, weather permitting.
Look through a 16-inch telescope to discover the wonders of the Universe.
Imax Movies
At both locations
Variable titles, schedules, and prices
Experience the thrill of watching movies on a giant screen with surround-sound.
Albert Einstein Planetarium
At the Museum in Washington, DC
Variable titles and schedules; some shows are free
Zoom through the cosmos enveloped in moving images and spine-tingling sound. |
| One Museum, Two Locations |
|
 Museum in Washington, DC
6th & Independence, S.W.
Washington, D.C.
|
 Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center
14390 Air and Space Museum Pkwy.
Chantilly, Virginia
|
Normal hours: every day from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. except December 25.
Extended summer hours:
Museum in Washington, DC -- through September 3 open until 7:30 pm
Udvar-Hazy Center -- through September 3 open until 6:30 pm
Admission is free. Udvar-Hazy Center parking: $15, free after 4:00 p.m.
For information call (202) 633-1000.
|
|
|
|
