| A key part of the Smithsonian Institution | | | | finally into the digital age. A view of the |
| that student group travelers to Washington, | | | | Tycho Armillary Sphere reproduction is on |
| D.C., will want to take in, is the National | | | | display in "Explore the Universe." The Sphere |
| Air and Space Museum on the National Mall. | | | | was built by Danish astronomer Tycho Brahe in |
| With hundreds of original, historic artifacts | | | | the late 1500s to study the sky and to teach |
| on display, including the Wright 1903 Flyer; | | | | about the celestial coordinate system. A |
| the Spirit of St. Louis; the Apollo 11 | | | | companion facility to the Museum on the |
| command module Columbia; and a Lunar rock | | | | National Mall is the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy |
| sample that visitors can touch, the Museum | | | | Center near Washington Dulles International |
| will captivate students and visitors for | | | | Airport, which provides additional exhibit |
| hours on end. There are some 22 exhibition | | | | space. The center, named in honor of its |
| galleries in the Museum, including an IMAX | | | | major donor, features the large Boeing |
| theater, flight simulators, a three-level | | | | Aviation Hangar in which aircraft are |
| shop, and a food-court-style restaurant. A | | | | displayed on three levels. Visitors can walk |
| favorite gallery, "How Things Fly," includes | | | | among aircraft and small artifacts in display |
| science demonstrations; paper airplane | | | | cases and view aircraft hanging from the |
| contests; and interactive devices. Another | | | | arched ceiling on elevated skywalks. Many |
| feature is the "Early Flight" gallery, which | | | | engines, helicopters, ultra-lights, and |
| highlights some of the earliest notions of | | | | experimental flying machines are on display |
| flying through the first decade of powered | | | | in a museum setting for the first time. Among |
| flight. Visitors can also see the original | | | | the aviation artifacts on display are the |
| 1903 Wright Flyer and 170 other related | | | | Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird, the fastest jet in |
| artifacts in a special exhibition, "The | | | | the world; the Boeing Dash 80, the prototype |
| Wright Brothers & The Invention of the Aerial | | | | of the 707; the Boeing B-29 Superfortress |
| Age."The Flyer will eventually be returned to | | | | Enola Gay; and the deHavilland Chipmunk |
| its usual hanging position in the Milestones | | | | aerobatic airplane. The James S. McDonnell |
| of Flight gallery. The history of human space | | | | Space Hangar opened in November 2004 and |
| exploration is detailed in two exhibitions, | | | | displays hundreds of famous spacecraft, |
| one being "Space Race," which includes | | | | rockets, satellites and space-related small |
| artifacts such as the V2 ballistic missile, a | | | | artifacts. The centerpiece of the space |
| full-size Hubble Space Telescope test | | | | hangar is the Space Shuttle Enterprise. Other |
| vehicle, and the backup Skylab space station | | | | space artifacts include the Gemini VII space |
| that visitors can walk through. The story of | | | | capsule; the Mobile Quarantine Unit used upon |
| America's effort to land a human on the Moon | | | | the return of the Apollo 11 crew; and a |
| is told in "Apollo to the Moon," where the | | | | Redstone rocket. The Donald D. Engen |
| original space suits worn by Neil Armstrong | | | | Observation Tower provides an excellent |
| and Buzz Aldrin on the Moon are on display. | | | | location from which visitors can watch air |
| The Museum on the National Mall also features | | | | traffic at Dulles Airport. The Center also |
| several exhibitions covering Earth and | | | | offers an IMAX(R) Theater; flight simulators; |
| planetary studies. "Looking at Earth" shows | | | | food service; a museum store; free docent |
| visitors how views of the planet from above | | | | tours; daily educational programs; and school |
| have helped provide better understanding of | | | | group tours. A special feature of the Center |
| the Earth. Examples of satellite imagery and | | | | is the National Aviation and Space |
| aerial photography are on display. The | | | | Exploration Wall of Honor, a permanent |
| "Exploring the Planets" exhibit highlights | | | | memorial to the thousands of people who |
| the history and achievements of planetary | | | | contributed to aviation and space |
| explorations, both Earth-based and by | | | | exploration. |
| spacecraft. On display is a full-scale | | | | |
| replica of the Voyager spacecraft which | | | | Travel Adventures is a student tour provider |
| traveled to the outer planets: Jupiter, | | | | staffed by educators who understand the needs |
| Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. Another display, | | | | of teachers. It has served over one half |
| "Explore the Universe," demonstrates the | | | | million students since 1987 and its mission |
| various methods used by humankind to observe | | | | is to "empower teachers to create change by |
| the skies throughout the ages, starting with | | | | expanding the classroom to the world. |
| the naked eye, through telescopes, and | | | | |