Event name: Excursion to Smithsonian Air and Space Museum
Event time and place: Smithsonian Air and Space Museum, Washington DC, 2/23/2025
Emmalynn and her classmates at the museum
Throughout my excursion to the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum, I explored the exhibits One World Connected, Exploring Planets, and Destination Moon. Each focused on a different aspect of exploration and technology respectfully.
The One World Connected exhibit focused on the development of global communication and transportation, as well as the technology used to observe and study the Earth itself. Walking into the exhibit, the first thing that I saw was the CFM56-2 Turbofan engine. It was an impressive, eye-catching display. There was also a textbox on the glass to provide information about the display. It was quite helpful, as it provided context about why the engine was designed in the way that it was and indicated how it was relevant to the exhibit. It was developed in the 70s with the purpose of being quieter than earlier versions in response to air traffic and noise pollution. The exhibit also included a timeline which ranged from the invention of the radio to modern day satellites. The timeline included the display of a teleprinter, which had a textbox to provide context and describe the usage of the invention, particularly during World War II. These first two displays seemed to be more for teenagers and adults, since learning the information predominantly came from reading the text provided. However, the next thing that I observed was in interactive digital timeline that could be scrolled through on a screen, which made it particularly appealing to children, increasing the exhibit's audience. I found this the most effective, as it kept my attention the best, and I was able to scroll and tap onto what seemed the most interesting to me. After I stepped away a child immediately ran up to take my place by the screen, further solidifying my thoughts of it being in the interest of younger visitors. The timeline itself was color coded with the three aspects of the exhibit: communication, transportation, and technology. It was easy to understand and straightforward, describing major events relevant to each category. For example, it described the progress from shorter flights of 1955, to GPS, texting, and web browsing in 1993, and Terra Satellite in 1999. Altogether, the room was very informative, relied heavily on reading to learn information, but also provided kid-friendly, interactive ways to explore.
The exhibit Exploring Planets focused on the development of technology used to study planets and moons, with a particular interest in telescopes and rovers. The exhibit progressed to show the current research techniques and what has been observed. This included planets' terrain, weather conditions, volcanos, and so on. The exhibit described how two new planets, Uranus and Neptune, and new moons were discovered thanks to the evolution of tools, specifically cameras. There was a display of different kinds of cameras, with each labeled in a textbox with a description of their chronological order and how they differed from each other as technology improved. The exhibit also discussed the discovery of a new moon of Saturn, with Pickering's notebooks on display. Similarly, Galileo's drawings were available to observe, along with a textbox describing his discovery of Saturn's rings. The displays along with the textboxes were very informational but required the text to be read for any information to be learned. This part of the exhibit felt targeted for adults and teenagers who were willing to stand and read small print and observe old displays of cameras and notebooks. However, there were also interactive elements that allowed the exhibit to be kid-friendly, including a the digital "Plan Your Own Mission" and "Explore Rocky Planets". Both were low to the ground, making it accessible to children, and provided a lot of options to pick from when using the screen, and the information was thorough but easy to understand. I thought that the interactive components were helpful at conveying information, as they did so in an interesting, but straightforward way.
The exhibit Destination Moon focused on the political aspects, particularly the Cold War, with sending a man to the moon. It also discussed the engineering aspect of the moon landing with the planning and materials, as well as the moon landing itself. The progression of travelling to the moon being a myth to actually happening is portrayed in a sort of timeline of information. This included the political relevance of JFK's motivation to get a man on the moon, which was portrayed through a news-style video. The exhibit also described the engineering of space travel and the moon landing, such as significant mathematicians, the consideration of different materials, and increase of rocket power and size. There were several displays of each, including photos of mathematicians and a model evolution of rockets, with text to further portray this information. Additionally, Neil Armstrong's spacesuit was placed at the center on display, representing the importance of the actual landing on the moon itself. This was accompanied by several sets of texts describing the significance of the accomplishment for the country, as well as the functionality of the suit itself. There also were samples of Apollo's heat shield both ablated and unablated, which I personally found very interesting. There is also the interactive opportunity to touch a model of the spacecraft, as well as a screen that allowed you to take a visual tour of the inside. These were interesting, but a 3D model of the spacecraft that you could enter would be more effective. Overall, the exhibit felt more that it was for teenagers or adults, as they would better be able to read the informational text and appreciate the moon landing.
With astronomy being a subject that our understanding of is constantly changing, the interactive screens allow for convenient updating. This allows new data to be shared with guests by updating a digital program rather than going through the hassle of removing a text display and replacing it with an updated one. The exhibits that display information from history, such as the workings of Galileo or the evolution of rocket power, are shown through written text. On the other hand, displays that may need to be updated, such as the timeline of global evolution or information about planets, are at some points displayed digitally so that they may be readily changed as necessary.