The National Air and Space Museum
The
Smithsonian Institution's National Air and Space Museum maintains the
largest collection of historic air- and spacecraft in the world. A vital
centre for research into the history, science and technology of aviation
and spaceflight, as well as planetary science, terrestrial geology and
geophysics, its treasures are kept in two buildings, one on the National
Mall and the other in the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center located near Dulles
Airport. A shuttle bus service runs between the two sites.
The mall building in Washington, DC has hundreds of artifacts on display
including the original Wright 1903 Flyer, the Spirit of St Louis, the
Apollo 11 command module and a touchable lunar rock sample.
The Steven F Udvar-Hazy Center near Dulles Airport has artifacts
including a Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird, a Concorde, a Boeing B-29
Superfortress Enola Gay and the Space Shuttle Enterprise. The center's
ten-storey trusses suspend the Monocoupe 110 Special Little Butch and the
deHavilland Chipmunk aerobatic airplane.
Other memorabilia includes the spacesuits worn to the Moon by Buzz Aldrin
and Neil Armstrong. The exhibition, Exploring the Planets, highlights
both earth-based and spacecraft history and achievements of planetary
explorations. There is a full-scale replica of the Voyager spacecraft
which traveled to Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune.
The centre has an IMAX theatre, flight simulators and a fantastic shop
where you can buy impractical but fun gifts such as freeze-dried ice
cream and other astronaut food items. This museum offers a thrilling ride
through the history of this important and fascinating topic.
