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This computer system also looks kinda outdated.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, part 2

Alright, I'm rested after taking a quick nap and ready to continue my visit to the National Air and Space Museum!

I'm standing here in front of the Lockheed SR-71A Blackbird. This is the world's fastest jet! It was retired in the late 1990s and each cost over $30M to manufacture. Looks like I'll need a raise in my allowance to have one of these.

While in operation, the exterior of the plane could reach 600 degrees Fahrenheit. You could definitely cook salmon on it! Mmm... salmon...

Some parts of the plane have corrugated paneling to allow for heat expansion.

The Blackbird could fly at speeds over 3 times the speed of sound!

I wonder if Miss Feathers has flown anything like this in her piloting career?

Okay, let's keep on going. There are still lots of other things to see in this museum. Here is a Coast Guard helicopter.

This is a helicopter from the International Atomic Energy Agency.

Look, it's a Boeing aircraft!

This aircraft is really cute, don't you think? It reminds me of a Mini Cooper.

Wow! This turbine engine is huge!

I wonder what the "H" on this aircraft stands for? Honey, perhaps?

Now this is interesting. This is a flying platform prototype developed for military purposes, but it seems like it never really took off.. heh heh...

Here is a Concorde jet. It took this plane about 3.5 hours to fly from New York to London.

This museum features the new and the old...

This is a beary cute aircraft! It is called the Airphibian because it is a plane... then the front part detaches into a car!

Here is a very triangle-like aircraft.

And here is... woah. This is the Red Bull Stratos Capsule that Felix Baumgartner jumped out of at 127,852 feet.

That sounds... a little crazy, doesn't it? But such is the heart of an adventurer, to seek and to dare!

Alright, I'm exhausted from walking around in this huge museum. I'm really disappointed I didn't get to see the space shuttle. Maybe that was just a temporary exhibit? I think it's time to go home now...

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...