SMITHSONIAN NATIONAL

SPACEAIR&

MUSEUMSTEVEN F. UDVAR-HAZY CENTER

Steven F. Udvar-Hazy National Air and Space Museum in Chantilly, Virginia near Dulles Internation-al Airport opened in 2003. The Udvar-Hazy Center is immense in size, since the facility is approximately three football fields long, ten stories high, and close to 260,000 square feet. It contains two large hangers: The Boeing Aviation Hanger and James S McDonnell Space Hanger, and it also mimics an actual airport with the 164 foot tall observation tower. Inspiring visitors before they come through the door with the design elements of the outside, the inside of the museum contains amazing artifacts ranging from past to present. The Museum also offers IMAX films, guided tours, and flight simulator rides. When I first walked into the museum, I was mesmerized by the large displays. I could instantly see the Space Shuttle Discovery and the Blackbird. Astonished by the layout of the museum, I quickly grabbed a pamphlet and commenced my journey.

STEVEN F. UDVAR HAZY

CENTERAIR & SPACE

WWII

Lockheed T-33A Shooting Star

COLD WARBell H-13J

Arado Ar 234 B-2 BlitzAichi M6A1 Seiran

“The world’s first operational jet bomber andreconnaissance aircraft”, the Arado Ar 234 B-2 Blitz (Lightning). The jet’s had a maximum velocity at 456mph, which was amazing during its time. This aircraft originated in Germany during the year 1940,

and was captured by the British and turned over to the United States in 1946. The Arado in the Udvar-Hazy

Center is “the sole survivor of it type.”

GERMANY 1944 | TOPSPEED 459 MPH

JAPAN 1945 | TOPSPEED 295 MPH

USA 1957 TOPSPEED 105MPH

Bell H-13 J was developed in order for the President to depart Washington, D.C. in a quickmanner. Dwight D.

Eisenhower was the first President of the United States to fly the Belll

H-13 J. The helicopter contained a frame-less, Plexiglas nose bubble heavily tinted to reduce glare and heat.” The Bell H-13 eventually ceased to be used, since the Bell could not carry aides or family members.

During 1948 through 1957, Lockheed T-33A-5-LO Shooting Star, known to many at the “T-Bird”, was the only jet trainer in the United States Air Force. The T-33A served as “an instrument trainer and utility aircraft as well as a test aircraft.” Canadian and Japanese versions of the Lockheed T-33A came about, and approximately 1,058 T-33A Shooting Stars were sent to neutral nations as part of the Mutual Defense Aid Program.

The Aichi M6A1, also known as the Clear Sky Storm, was designed by Japanese chief engineer, Toshio Ozaki, in order to have a bomber operate exclusively from a submarine. The Aichi M6A1 Seiran never entered into combat, but the submarine weapons system proved to be an inventive form oftechnology. The Udvar-Hazy Center now contains the only Seiran left in the world, and there were only twenty-six Serians built.

USA 1948| TOPSPEED 600 MPH

RUSSIA | TOPSPEED 652 MPH

World War II was truly a horrific era. Germany, Italy, and Japan were defeated by the UK, former Soviet Union and the United States. The Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center contains several artifacts from several different years and countries. It was astonishing to envision these aircrafts that were once in motion, and to now view them in a museum.

The Cold War was considered “cold”because there was no large-scale fighting. There was apolitical and military tension between Western and Eastern powers. Nevertheless both powers were prepared for an all out war.

KOREAN & VIETNAM WAR

During the Korean War, the need for an aircraft to have a “long range strike with high subsonic per-formance at a very low altitude” was a top priority. This type of aircraft needed to be able to attack enemy defenses and successfully find and destroy small targets in all variations of weather. The Grumman was the outcome of these requirements. The Navy and Marine Corps used this aircraft. It proved to be a well-designed aircraft because it endured harsh combat conditions in the skies of Vietnam, and it “accumulated more than 7,500 flying hours, over 6,500 landings, 767 carrier landing and 712 catapult launches.

Grumman A-6E Intruder

McDonnell F-4S Phantom II

North AmericanF-86A Sabre

Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15

USA 1970 | TOPSPEED 1,428 MPHThe Phantom, the “multi-role” aircraft, which has been flown by U.S. Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps,

and other air forces from different nations. The McDonnell Phantom was a modernized version of

its older plane, F-4J. These changes allowed the Mc-Donnell F-4S Phantom II to be so widely used.

USA 1949 | TOPSPEED 679 MPH

USA 1968 | TOPSPEED 480 MPH

The Mikoyan-Gurevich, also known as the MiG-15, was the rival aircraft of US F-86. The Russian MiG-

15 amazed the Americans with its capabilities. The Russians designed and developed the plane,

and gave it to the Koreans to battle with the US.

The North American F-86A Sabre proved to be a great fighter aircraft during combat operations. It’s the first swept-wing jet fighter. During the Korean War, the F-86A Sabre flew several of its missions, and ha astonishing shoot down advantage against enemy aircraft MiGs.

The Korean and Vietnam War had their similarities and differences, but the greatest difference between both wars were their methods of fighting. Due to the different fighting styles, the planes were created for specific scenarios.

BOEING B-29 SUPERFORTRESS

The Boeing B-29 Superfortress Enola Gay, which is known for dropping the first atomic bomb in 1945 during World War II. The Enola Gay was the most“sophisticated propeller-driven bomber of its time”. After the United States Air Force donated the aircraft to the Smithsonian in 1960, the Enola Gay process of restoration began. The Enola Gay underwent nearly 300,000 hours of restora-tion, which is the most extensive in the museum’s history. Several views of the Enola Gay allow the audience to truly view this historical aircraft, which allows the audience to grasp the devastation of WWII in Hiroshima, Japan. Viewing the Enola Gay brought several emotions forward. It was astonishing to see the plane that destroyed several lives. The size and length of the plane practically took all of the space in the hanger. It enjoyed viewing the plane in several angles, and the longer I viewed the Enola Gay the more mesmerized I became.

ENOLA GAY

TOP SPEED

HIROSHIMA339MPH

ATOMIC BOMB

USAWWII

“LITTLE BOY”

LOCKHEED SR-71 A

BLACKBIRD

SPACESHUTTLE

DISCOVERY

Before the government acknowledged the Black-bird’s existence, it was a spy plane that flew for 15 years. This extraordinary Lockheed SR-71A was built in the 1960s by the Lockheed Corporation, and its designed was based on not being shot down by the enemy. During the Cold War, the Blackbird flew mis-sions over heavily defended areas such as Vietnam, and provided information to several regions. The Blackbird is “the world’s fastest jet-propelled aircraft”. It traveled three times the speed of sound, and went from Los Angeles to Washington DC in record time of 68 minutes and 17 seconds. That makes its top speed approximately 2,112 mph. The Blackbird was officially retired by the Air Force in 1990 due to budget, “the end of the Cold War and competition from spy satellites.” Once the Blackbird

landed in Dulles Airport, they handed the aircraft over to the Smithsonian. When I first laid my eyes on the Blackbird, I was surprised by the magnitude of the aircraft. I was also intrigued by the sleekness, and the interesting choice of animal in the painted near the back of the aircraft. The Blackbird was the first aircraft I saw while walking in the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center. I was amazed by the layout of the museum, and it truly inspired me. The concept of placing one of the best aircrafts in the museum up front was out of the ordinary, and I enjoyed it. The lighting on the SR-71 A Blackbird was gorgeous. I viewed several people automatically take their cam-eras out, and take photos from different angles. Of course, I did the same. I will definitely come back to to view the Blackbird along with several others.

BLACKBIRDORIGIN

TOP SPEED

WEIGHT, EMPTY

USA2,250MPH60,000 LB

Space Shuttle Discovery was the third shuttle orbiter to fly in space. Discovery was first launched in 1984, and flew 39 missions up until its retirement after 27 years of service. It spent a total of 365 days in space, carried 246 crew members, traveling a total of 148 million miles, and making 5,830 orbits around the Earth. Discovery “embodies well the 30-year history of the U.S. human spaceflight from 1981 to 2011.” Space Shuttle Discovery was donated from NASA to the Smithsonian in April 2012. The layout of the museum allowed me to see the Space Shuttle Discovery right behind the Lockheed SR-71A Blackbird. Once I walked in the museum, I was hearing conversations fromothers stating their disbelief. Several peoplequestioned if the Discovery was actually the real deal. I had no doubt in my mind that it was indeed the

authentic Space Shuttle Discovery. When you walk up closely to the space shuttle, you can clearly see the burnt markings on the heat shields on the tip of the nose. Discovery is massive in size, and I envisioned Discovery launching into space. On the Discovery, there were markings of where to cut, and I thought it was interesting to see how simple it was to show where someone could cut incase of an emergency. I realized how intricate the design of the space shuttle was, and I learned something new. It was amazing to see the Space Shuttle Discovery, and I was amazed by how many times it traveled in and out of Space.

DISCOVERYORIGINSERVICE

WEIGHT1984-2011161,325LB

USA

AIR FRANCE

CONCORDEORIGIN

TOP SPEED

WEIGHT, EMPTY1,350MPH174 ,750LB

FRANCE&LONDON

The Concorde, the first supersonic airliner, that traveled at twice the speed of sound which isapproximately 1,360-mph. Air France and British Airways jointly inaugurated Concorde service in 1976. The Concorde could board 100 passengers and flights from Washington to London would take half the time of a conventional jetliner. The costs of the supersonic airliner were sky high because of the high operating costs. A round-trip ticket for one would cost approxi-mately $7,800, and only a few could afford to fly on the Concorde. Due to the economy, all Concordes were retired in 2003. Before the Concorde retired, Air France agreed in 1989 to donate a Concorde to the Smithsonian once they retired. The Smithsonian did not expect to see it so soon, but they gladly accepted the first supersonic commercial aircraft. I never knew

of the Concorde until I walked in the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center. I have to admit that I am embarrassed of that fact. I was fascinated and curious of the Concorde. The reason being is because it was ahead of it time, and stopped being used strictly because it was far to expensive. I believe the Concorde will come again when the time comes, and it’ll be better and perhaps even faster. I would have loved to actually enter the Concorde, but being able to see it from multiple angles and height was good enough for me. I was surprised that it had to piloted by three people, and I was defi-nitely shocked on the speed of the aircraft. I am now aware of the Concorde, and will certainly recommend and educate others to come view the Concorde in the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center.

The Pathfinder was the first spacecraft to land on Mars since the Viking mission in 1976. The Path-finder “is a full-scale engineering prototype for a spacecraft that launched on December 4, 1996.” The Pathfinder reached Mars on July 4, 1997, and it recorded scientific data of the atmosphere of Mars, which suggested the presence of water in the past. The Pathfinder and the prototype were designed and built by Jet Propulsion Laboratory for NASA’s office of Space Science.

“This Mercury capsule, number 15B, is one of two left showing the complete one-man spacecraft in its orbital configuration.” The Mercury Capsule includes the silver and black retrorocket package used to slow it down for its return to Earth. Alan B. Shepard, Jr. was the first American in space, and he hoped to fly the Mercury capsule on a long-duration orbital mission in 1963. Unfortunately, Shepard did fly the Mercury due to the success of MA-9 in 1963. In September 1967 NASA transferred the capsule to the Smithsonian Institution.

The Redstone was the first large-scale operational liquid-propellant missile. Later it was modified as the Jupiter-C, which places the Unites States first artificial

satellite into orbit in 1958. The Red-stone had a “range of 200-250 miles and carried either a conventional or nuclear warhead.” Eventually the mis-sile was replaced by another in 1964, and was donated to the Smithsonian in 1978.

On September 23, 1935, Robert H. Goddard most likely attempted to launch this rocket at New Mexico to demonstrate its capabilities to his supporters. Unfortunately, a technical issue prevented the demonstration of the Goddard Rocket. Due to the malfunction of the first liquid-fuel rocket, it was donated to the Smithsonian in 1935.

SPACE

Mars Pathfinder Lander

Mercury Capsule #15B

USA 1961 | 3,000 LBS

USA 1996 | 5 FT TALL

Redstone Rocket

Goddard Rocket 1935 A-Series Rocket

ROCKETS

USA 1935 | LENGTH 15.5 FT

LIQUID OXYGEN & GASOLINE

USA 1958 | LENGTH 69 FT

LIQUID OXYGEN & ALCOHOL

SmithsonianNational Air and Space Museum

Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center