|
|
| Exhibitions | |
 Featured: You might say the Looking at Earth gallery demonstrates the truth behind the saying, "Big Brother is watching you." The gallery explores the technology of aerial and space observation and its many uses, with displays of aircraft and spacecraft and examples of the photographic and imaging devices used by them.
Shown in the banner above is a Lockheed U-2 high-altitude photoreconnaissance aircraft on display in Looking at Earth. The U-2 was the aircraft American pilot Francis Gary Powers was flying when he was shot down during a 1960 mission in Soviet air space. Despite this infamous incident, the U-2 was one of the most successful intelligence-gathering aircraft ever produced.
Also among the items on display, seen above left, is the back-up/ground testing version of TIROS (Television Infrared Observation Satellite). Launched in April 1960, TIROS I was the world's first weather satellite. |
| Feature Story from Air & Space Magazine | |
 Even Lindbergh Got Lost. Read this fascinating account of early aerial navigation by Roger Connor, co-curator of the Museum's Time and Navigation exhibition opening in
April 2013. Connor also wrote a related blog post, Amelia Earhart and the Profession of Air Navigation. |
| This Month in Aviation and Space History |  March 2, 1969. The Concorde supersonic transport makes its first flight. The Museum has a Concorde on display at the Udvar-Hazy Center that was the first production Concorde delivered to Air France and the first Concorde to open service between Paris and New York, Washington, and Rio de Janeiro. It had amassed 17,824 hours in the air. It flew from Paris to Washington-Dulles International Airport on its last flight in 2003, after which it was transferred to the Museum for permanent display. The photo shows its final touchdown.
|
| Test your Knowledge | |
 On which three Moon landings did astronauts make use of a lunar roving vehicle? Answer
The vehicle at left is on display in the Apollo to the Moon gallery in the Museum in Washington, DC. It is a Qualification Test Unit. |
| New on the AirSpace Blog | |
 When Worlds Collide, by Center for Earth and Planetary Studies scientist Jim Zimbelman
Amelia Earhart and the Profession of Air Navigation, by Aeronautics Department museum specialist Roger Connor
Where There is Wool, There is a Way, by Amelia Brakeman Kile of the Collections Department
Football in 1907, by archivist Elizabeth Borja
Reflections on the Loss of STS-107, the Space Shuttle Columbia: Ten Years Ago, by Roger Launius, senior curator in the Space History Department |
| Great Read | |
 Pluto's Secret: An Icy World's Tale of Discovery. The first children's book written and illustrated by National Air and Space Museum employees, Pluto's Secret is described as so: "People, children especially, have been baffled, bewildered, and even outraged by the fact that Pluto is no longer called a planet. Through whimsical artwork and an entertaining dialogue format, Pluto's Secret explains the true story of this distant world. Providing a history of the small, icy world from its discovery and naming to its recent reclassification, this book presents a fascinating look at how scientists organize and classify our solar system as they gain new insights into how it works and what types of things exist within it." It is appropriate for ages five and up.
The book was co-authored by curator Margaret Weitekamp and senior curator David DeVorkin, and illustrated by early childhood educator Diane Kidd. It will be launched at the Museum in Washington, DC March 15 and at the Udvar-Hazy Center March 23, including a reading, illustration demonstration, and discussion. |
| Sole Survivors and One-of-a-Kinds |  Northrop Gamma 2B Polar Star. The Northrop Gamma was a single-engine all-metal monoplane. Equipped with skis in place of wheels, the Northrop Gamma 2B Polar Star was flown across Antarctica in 1935. The fuselage area just behind the engine cowling still bears dents from a hard landing on the polar ice. This was the only Northrop Gamma 2B built and is on display in the Golden Age of Flight gallery in the Museum in Washington, DC. |
 In Your Neighborhood. If you're a southern Californian, you can stop by the San Diego Air & Space Museum and see the Mitsubishi Reisen (Zero-Fighter) A6M7 Model 63 ZEKE. The Japanese Zero totally outclassed all Allied fighter aircraft for the first six months of World War II. The National Air and Space Museum's A6M7, which is on loan to the San Diego museum, was among about 145 captured Japanese aircraft shipped to the U.S. from the Yokosuka, Japan, area in October/November 1945. It was restored by volunteers at the San Diego Air & Space Museum, which took more than three years. |
 1955 Space Station Concept. A museum specialist dusts the Space Station S-1 model before it is placed on display in the Moving Beyond Earth gallery. The Space Station is a prop that was used in an episode of the "Disneyland" television series titled "Man in Space." It originally aired on March 9, 1955. The show featured scientists Wernher von Braun, Willy Ley, and Heinz Haber who helped explain some of the challenges of space exploration. Besides the space station, Von Braun unveiled a conceptual four-stage, passenger-carrying rocket ship that could break free of the earth's gravitational pull, which later turned out not to be so far-fetched. President Eisenhower requested a print of this film to show the brass at the Pentagon, and it was evidently instrumental in helping to push them into the space program. The model is on loan from Walt Disney Imagineering. Read more about this model and how it differs from today's actual space station in this blog post by Space History Department chairman, Paul Ceruzzi.
|
|
 Sparrow 2 Missile. This is the U.S. Navy Sparrow 2 air-to-air missile, designed and built by the Douglas Aircraft Company. The Sparrow family of missiles originated in 1946 and became one of the largest and most important missile programs for the United States, NATO, and other U.S. allies. It is on display at the Udvar-Hazy Center.
|
|
For more photos, search through the online collections imagery database. |
| Shop the SmithsonianStore.com |  Relativity Watch. A clever and stylish riff on Einstein's theory of relativity, the hands of this analog watch function as expected; however, its face alters your perception of time. After each second, the numbers rotate, clockwise. After thirty seconds, the number 12 will be where the six had been; the two, where the eight had been, and so on. Though noon will still be noon, the charm lies in discovering its ever revolving location on the face of this relativity watch. |
|
Smithsonian's Stars Lecture
Robots and Humans Unite: A Decade of Astronomical Discovery with Hectospec
Featuring Dan Fabricant, Senior Physicist, Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory and Associate Director, Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics
Saturday, March 2, 5:15 pm
At the Museum in Washington, DC
The Smithsonian's Stars Lecture Series is made possible by a grant from NASA.
|
Stargazing at the Public Observatory
Saturday, March 2
6:30 pm to 8:30 pm
At the Museum in Washington, DC |
Exploring Space Lecture
Curiosity's Mission of Exploration at Gale Crater, Mars
Featuring John Grotzinger, Chief Scientist, Mars Science Laboratory Mission Tuesday, March 12, 8:00 pm
At the Museum in Washington, DC
The Exploring Space Lecture Series is made possible by the generous support of NASA and Aerojet. |
Stargazing at the Public Observatory
Tuesday, March 12
8:30 pm to 10:00 pm
At the Museum in Washington, DC
|
|
GE Aviation Lecture
GPS for Humanity -- The Stealth Utility
Featuring Dr. Bradford W. Parkinson, Edward C. Wells Professor of Aeronautics and Astronautics Emeritus, Stanford University
Thursday, March 21, 8:00 pm
At the Museum in Washington, DC
The GE Aviation Lecture Series is made possible by the generous support of GE Aviation.
|
Family Day
Kites of Asia
Saturday, March 23, 10:00 am to 3:00 pm
At the Museum in Washington, DC
The Heritage Family Day series is made possible by the generous support of Northrop Grumman Corporation. |
|
Family Day
Women in Aviation and Space
Saturday, March 23, 10:00 am to 3:00 pm
At the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center
The Heritage Family Day series is made possible by the generous support of Northrop Grumman Corporation. |
Children's Book Launch: Pluto's Secret: An Icy World's Tale of Discovery
Story time, illustration demonstration, and discussion for young children
Featuring Museum Authors and Illustrator: Margaret Weitekamp, David DeVorkin, and Diane Kidd
Saturday, March 23, 11:30 am
At the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center |
|
Recurring Activities
Super Science Saturdays
At the Udvar-Hazy Center
Every second Saturday; This month: March 9; Topic: the Space Shuttle
Demonstrations and hands-on activities related to aviation and space science
This series is made possible by the generous support of FBR.
"Flights of Fancy" Stories for Children
Both locations
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
Both locations
Wednesday, Noon, at the Museum in Washington, DC
Second and fourth Thursdays, 12:30, at the Udvar-Hazy Center
Short talks about objects in the Museum and aviation- and space-related topics
Author Book Signings
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 Sundays from Noon to 3:00 pm weather permitting; see special nighttime viewings under "Events and Activities" above.
Look through a 16-inch telescope to discover the wonders of the Universe.
Imax Movies
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, D.C.
6th & Independence, S.W.
Washington, DC
|
 Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center
14390 Air and Space Museum Pkwy.
Chantilly, Virginia
|
Open every day from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. except December 25.
Admission is free. Udvar-Hazy Center parking: $15, free after 4:00 p.m.
For information call (202) 633-1000.
|
|
|
|
