Day 15: DC Will Do That To You

I decided that sleeping in was the best course of action and despite losing a significant portion of my day to catching up on the night before, I surprised myself with how much I got done. It helped that the Smithsonian Museums I visited were open until 7:30pm due to summer hours.

On my way to the Air and Space Museum I ended up wandering through the sculpture garden. Whilst a lot of the art was modern and I don't really get modern art, I did enjoy some of the artwork I saw, particularly the optical illusion house. 

Metal Tree

The outside of a house...

Except it bends the OTHER WAY!

I also walked past the Smithsonian Castle, which looks oddly out of place in the area - all the other buildings look greek or roman, which is the typical architectural style of the area, but the Smithsonian Castle is more, fresh out of medieval European or perhaps a touch more gothic. It is basically an information centre to help you find your way around the other museums.

The typical building style of the area

Smithsonian Castle!

The Museum of Natural History - where I was yesterday with Anna

The view of the Capitol Building, which appears to be under repairs

The walk to the Air and Space Museum had a scale model of the solar system on it.

The Air and Space Museum was actually really fun, if a bit busy and full of kids (which is fine, as long as the kids like science and are enjoying themselves). I first went through the exhibit on how planes work and was amused to find wind tunnels with aerofoils in them demonstrating turbulence and stalling - which is an experiment I just completed last semester in class. A lot of the kids didn't really read the instructions on the experiments, just hit buttons, twirled knobs and looked at the way things behaved. If they wanted to know why they asked their parents, which forced the parents to read and try and explain it (very funny to watch.) Because I knew what I was doing, I could do things with the experiments that the kids didn't realise you could do and I wowed them.

The rest of the museum was full of the history of flight, astronomy, navigation and space exploration. It included some very cool models and as well as some actual examples of equipment and craft used in these endeavors. They had a whole room dedicated to the Space Shuttle, with videos of launch, how and why it was designed they way it was, as well as explanations of the Columbia and Challenger disasters and what changed as a result.

A Mars Lander (not used, but it's siblings were)

The Actual Apollo 11 Command Unit - it's really burned on the underside from atmospheric re-entry 

Wind Tunnels showing turbulence

The founder of the Space Race- the V2 Rockets (Made in Germany). The Germans lost every technological and military mark in the war, except rocket missiles.

Spectroscopy of gasses - this allows us to identify the main components of a star. I don't remember what gas this is.

Red Bull gives you wings and a robot car that drives itself

One of the engines of the Saturn V Rocket - the ones that took man to the moon

Buzz Aldrin's Space Suit he wore on the moon

  My next stop was the Museum of American History, which I fully expected to be the least interesting. Actually, I felt it was the best done. The information was a bit of a repeat of what I had already heard in Boston when I went to the Civil War wing, but all other elements were new and fresh and they had great displays. There was a section on American Innovation, celebrating the achievements, both technologically and culturally, of the United States, the invention of the recording of sound, America at War and an exhibit on the Star Spangled Banner itself. The Museum shop was a personal highlight - the one of the second floor dedicated to popular culture. They sell knee high superhero socks with capes! I didn't buy those (restrained myself) but I did buy the 40 pack of Marvel posters and a Wonder Woman shirt that has IT'S OWN CAPE! YES!

The Star Spangled Banner display was amazing, because it reflected upon the history behind the national anthem. During the war against the British in the 1800s (the one with USS Constitution winning everything) the British Navy bombarded the fort of Baltimore. Already having lost Washington DC and having the White House burnt down, if Baltimore fell, it was basically game over. The battle raged into the night and in the morning....The United States Flag was still flying over the fort. A poet wrote a poem about said flag and set it to a popular tune for the time and the result was the American National Anthem as we know it today. The display itself included the actual flag that flew that day - which is a huge flag (and only 15 stars).

The other amazing display was the one about the Presidents and its separate display on the First Lady. Being able to read about the history, protocols and triumphs of individuals who filled both roles throughout history, was wonderful. The First Lady display also showed what each First Lady wore to their inauguration ball, which was stunning.

Apple II Computer

Muhammad Ali's Boxing Gloves

The original Count. Number 1 - ah ah ah ah

Abraham Lincoln's Hat he wore the night he was assassinated

Getting ready for dust-off

Steel from the Facade of Tower Two from September 11

My only main issue with the Museum was in the America at War. It's so steeped in American culture this deep patriotism that it is almost disturbing to read how much they believe they won each war on their own. The way it is presented always paints American as the hero and in some ways, it glorifies war and all American has done in pursuit of battle. But that's just me.

Tomorrow I'll be up super early to try and grab myself a ticket up the Washington Monument. Only three days left in DC, better make the most of it.