December 8th, 2008
On December 6, 2008, I, along with fellow Earth Life and Time students, ventured into Washington DC. What were we doing on this lovely Saturday afternoon you might ask? We were only making our way to our NationÕs very own Library of Congress and the famous Smithsonian Air and Space Museum. To document our educational experience, I have taken notes on several of the interesting items and discoveries at each of the locations.
EXPLORING THE EARLY AMERICAS---Library of Congress
The first item I noticed was at the front of the exhibit, known as the ÒMonumental Jaguar Sculpture.Ó Though at first this sculpture scared me, I realized that it had much significance to the Mayan people. Jaguars not only represented protectors of kings, but also the sun. This sculpture may have once sat on a throne of a Maya lord or king. Next I moved further into the exhibit to see the book ÒDeeds of the Castilians in the New World.Ó Obviously we could not flip through this antique book, but the information sheet said that this book contained Antonion de Herrera y TordesillasÕ detailed history of the Spanish quest to bring Christianity to the people of the Indies. Unlike most historians who wrote about the Indies, TordesillasÕ book was lengthy, accurate account of the Castilian people in the New World. Above this book lay a beautiful map that caught my eye. It was the ÒChart of the Pacific CoastÓ used for sailing on the Pacific coast of Central and South America. This chart may have been the first to represent the Galapagos Islands, off the coast of Ecuador. The chart probably dates back to the 16th century because of the two different ÒhandsÓ written to name the towns. Overall the exhibit was special and important because it contained so much important history of the early Americas. My favorite item was the first map to contain the word ÒAmericaÓ on it. To see something like this that contained so much history meant a lot to me.
SPACE: OUR JOURNEY TO OUR FUTUREÑThe Air and Space Museum (Smithsonian)
For me, the Air and Space Museum was one of my favorite museums that I have been to with Earth Life and Time. I did not realize how many projects NASA is currently working on. One of the exhibits ÒOrionÓ explained that this new spacecraft is even larger than Apollo. Orion can lift six astronauts to the International Space station and can even accommodate four astronauts on Moon missions. Orion has the potential to be used on voyages farther into the solar system. ItÕs scheduled take off is in 2015. Another really cool exhibit was ÒHere Comes the Rovers.Ó It explained that two robotic rovers, Spirit and Opportunity, landed on Mars in 2004. The rovers explore the chemistry and geology of the Martian surface. Scientists have been dying to discover proof of water once being on Mars. These Rovers have helped provide convincing evidence.My favorite exhibit was the ÒTelescope in the Box. It is a giant inflatable telescope launched into space in a box the size of a coffee can. It will be called Gossamer Telescope and is scheduled to launch in 2014. The advantage of this telescope is that it will be able to see farther into space so that maybe we can fine other Earth-life planets.