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The National Air and Space Museum
7th and Independence Ave., SW,
Washington, DC
The National Air and Space Museum is one of the most popular museums
in the world. Now with two locations, the National Mall Building in
downtown Washington, DC and the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center near
Dulles International Airport, there is something there for everyone:
science, history, heroes, triumphs, and outer space! The National
Air and Space Museum on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. has
hundreds of original, historic artifacts on display, including the
Wright 1903 Flyer; the Spirit of St. Louis; the Apollo 11 command
module Columbia; and a Lunar rock sample that visitors can touch. It
would be difficult to see everything in one day, so let kids explore
what is of interest to them and don’t worry about what you miss
along the way.
Look up at the sky and talk about the constellations, and the way
people have thought about the stars over the centuries. They have
made up stories about the shapes they saw and they have studied the
stars to navigate ships and to learn more about the origins of our
universe. See if you can get a kite to stay up in the air and try
different kinds of paper airplanes to see which kind flies furthest.
• Ages 3-7
Talk about what it would feel like to be in outer space or walk on
the moon. Talk about the way that the earth’s revolutions create our
day and night. If you take an airplane, see if your children can
visit the cockpit.
• Ages 8-18
Tell the kids about the two bicycle shop owners who became the first
to fly, and, if you were old enough, your recollection of watching
Neil Armstrong walk on the moon. Kids 12 and up will appreciate
movies like “Apollo 13” and “The Right Stuff” (some mature material)
and Tom Hanks’ brilliant miniseries, “From the Earth to the Moon.”
Ask them about the difference between an airplane and a helicopter,
and see if they can recall favorite airplane trips. Ask them what
they think a moon rock will look like and feel like, and how big
they think the very first airplane was. Why do some balloons float
while others sink? How can an astronaut eat ice cream? How many
planets are there in our solar system and what are their names? How
many have we explored with camera-equipped space ships?
• Ages 3-7
For this age group, begin with the slice of moon rock that you can
touch, just inside the doors facing the mall, but plan to spend most
of your time in the How Things Fly exhibition, just off the main
hall. It is a wonderful, interactive, hands-on introduction to the
forces that make it possible for something as heavy as an airplane
or rocket ship to take off and fly. See how much you would weigh if
you were on another planet, and how long you can stay in the air if
you jump. Be sure to check for the daily paper airplane contest and
see if you can enter. Kids this age will also enjoy the “Family of
the Sun” exhibit upstairs, with information about the planets and
pictures made by children. Stop by the museum store to buy some
freeze-dried ice cream, and call it a day.
• Ages 8-up
Start by checking out the schedule for IMAX films, so you can get
your tickets and plan the rest of the day around the movie show
times. The classic “To Fly” is always a hit, and the recent “Space
Station 3D” and “Fighter Pilot” are sure to thrill everyone. Don’t
forget to visit the Einstein Planetarium. The planetarium has been
upgraded to include a first-of-its-kind, Sky Vision™ dual digital
projection system and six-channel digital surround sound. For the
first time, you’ll feel the sensation of zooming through the cosmos,
enveloped in color saturated moving images and spine-tingling sound.
On the second floor, kids look into the main hall and see the plane
Charles Lindbergh flew across the Atlantic when he was only 25 years
old, and the plane Chuck Yeager flew to break the sound barrier. The
one they might enjoy the most, though, is the Gossamer Condor, which
looks like it is made out of plastic wrap. In 1959, a wealthy
British industrialist offered a 50,000 pound prize to the first
person to keep a human-powered aircraft aloft long enough to fly a
figure-eight course. Eighteen years later, Paul MacReady did it,
with a plane that weighed only 70 pounds. Watch the video to see how
MacReady, like the Wright brothers before him, had to cope with many
failures before he made it work. v
The National Air and Space Museum
7th and Independence Ave., SW, Washington, DC
www.nasm.si.edu
Admission: Free
Time needed:
Ages 3-7: one hour;
Ages 8-adult: two hours or more
Food: A food-court style cafeteria is available at the museum.
Rest rooms: On site
Baby changing facilities: None
Hours: 10-5:30 every day except Christmas.
Phone number: (202) 633-1000
Tips on how to get there: Take the Metro to L’Enfant Plaza or
Smithsonian
Your kids will really like:
Seeing the aircraft that changed history.
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