A Special Outing, part 3

Have you ever had the feeling that if you simply turned around, you would find what you were looking so hard for? The fur on the back of my neck began to rise. I slowly turned around and saw...

...the space shuttle!

I was so excited that I began running toward it.

This is the Space Shuttle Discovery! This is the real thing that went into outer space, not a replica.

Look! The outside of the space shuttle has a lot of black tiles on it. It's not one smooth piece.

Each tile is individually numbered, that way the engineers know which piece is damaged and can make repairs.

Wow, it looks great, doesn't it?

There is a tiny window on the side that the astronauts can look out of. I wonder what it's like seeing the Earth from way up in outer space.

The other side of the shuttle says "Cut here for emergency rescue." Space flight does have its risks, you know. Only the brave need apply!

Here's a look from the rear.

Pretty cool, huh?

They have some of space-related exhibits here also. This is a rocket... it's inert... phew.

More rockets of different sizes!

There are also some old computer systems on display. This is a Univac computer on the right.

This computer system also looks kinda outdated. Maybe it is more up Uncle Tibbs' alley?

This is a "Sounds of Earth" golden phonograph record is a replica of a phonograph that was launched with the Voyager spacecraft in 1977. The Voyager spacecraft is still in space today and is the farthest human-made object from Earth. There are messages and music and other sounds on the phonograph, for the extraterrestrial life forms that may find them. Were stuffies included on this phonograph?

Here's an astronaut spacesuit! I need one of these.

And a space helmet and gloves also!

Look at this space capsule. It looks a lot like my head, don't you think?

Alright, here's a final look at the space shuttle! What a beauty! I hope I hear back from NASA about my astrobear application. It's been a while...

A Special Outing

A few weeks ago, my mom woke me up early to go on a "special outing." The weather was cold and cloudy and I was beary reluctant to get out of bed. What could be so special at this place? It doesn't look like much from the parking lot.

I would much rather be in bed, you know, sipping tea with honey and... ooooh - it's the National Air and Space Museum! This sounds like fun!

The is the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center. It's an annex to the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC.  This center is made possible by his generous financial gifts. Thank you beary much!

As I walked into the lobby, I saw this cardboard astronaut cut-out. I began to get beary excited. Maybe I would be able to find a space shuttle here? I still do dream of being an astrobear, you know.

Alright, let's go into the main hangar and check it out.

Whoa! This is the view when you first walk in. Down below is a Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird plane - the fastest plane ever! Ooogie would not like to fly in that, don't you think?

To the right of that is the Vought F4U-1D Corsair handing suspended from the air.

There are so many planes in this museum!

This is amazing. I am so glad I got out of bed for this!

Check out these military helicopters. Have you flown in a helicopter before?

These are actual planes and helicopters that have flown real-life rescue missions, not replicas. This is the Bell UH-1H Iroquois.

Whoa, here's a SA-2 Guideline Missile. I will just carefully get out of the way.

They also have an exhibit on airplane engines. It's really amazing to see what's inside these. A lot of time and research have been spent improving the technology. Who knows what engines will be like in the future?

Something caught the corner of my eye. It was a model of a space shuttle. That made me wonder again, could I find a space shuttle here in this museum?

This museum has planes from WW1. They seem a lot clunkier than the more modern ones.

This plane looks like it's been through a lot.

This is a North American F-100D Super Sabre. I wonder how they come up with the names for these planes.

This is the Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21F "Fishbed C". I think this is a great name for a plane.

This is a Grumman F-14 Tomcat. I would love to get in the cockpit but I'm not allowed to get any closer.

This plane is very shiny, like a mirror!

Whoa, another missile. I'll get out of the way.

Pilots need to wear oxygen masks like this one because of the high altitude and speed they fly at.

Look above - there are more planes flying above us!

Alright, this place is huge. I'm going to sit down and take a little break from walking. And I also have to ask around about this space shuttle...