CPSG101 Science & Global Change First Year Colloquium II and Sophomore Colloquium
Field Trip: National Museum of Air & Space, Washington, DC
February 26, 2023
Exploring the Planets (2nd Floor)
1) What fields of science and aspect(s) of aerospace science or technology are presented? Be specific.
The fields of science touched upon within this hall are primarily astronomy and geology. Technology presented is mainly robots, spacecraft, telescopes, and cameras.
2) What specific concepts, discoveries, or inventions are portrayed? Select three (3) such examples from EACH gallery
Specific concepts touched upon are geologic processes upon other planets (plate tectonics,
erosion, volcanic activity, and so on). Technologies mentioned are the Mars rovers Curiosity
and Perseverance, along with spacecraft that have traveled to other celestial bodies (such as
Voyager).
3) How does the gallery convey information relevant to 2 above: give specific examples of
specimens, drawings, texts, graphics, etc.
In order to explain to laypeople how geologic processes work (both on Earth and other
planets), an entire wall is dedicated to posters and diagrams. A few examples would be the
poster that explains how plate tectonics work on Earth (and why they are seemingly absent
from Venus), how ancient volcanic events on Venus have left marks upon the surface that can
be seen with radar, and how flowing water millions of years ago have carved out river beds
that can still be seen to this day.
4) What education level do you think the hall is aimed at, and why?
The hall seems to be aimed at all ages. The interactive exhibits arent challenging but theyre
also not extremely easy, perfect for teenagers. Much of the information is extremely wordy, so
it is hard to understand from a kids perspective. Yet at the same time, the main part of the
hall, the dual-screens in the middle, lay out the information in a manner simple enough for
even a child to understand.
5) To what degree does the exhibit include interactive components (e.g., hands-on
activities, computers, etc.)? [If the hall doesnt, please suggest an interactive component
they could use!]
The hall had models of rocks you could touch and it had little interactive quizzes where you
had to figure out which source of energy would work best in powering a rover/probe.
6) Do you find that the interactive components were effective at conveying the
information? If yes, explain how (using specifics); if no, explain why not (again, using
specifics). [If N/A, put N/A]
The interactive components were sufficient at their purpose. The interactive models of rocks
and minerals were good examples for people to see how geologic processes outside of Earth
compare and contrast to those on Earth. The interactive quizzes were pretty helpful at making
one understand why some sources of energy are more suitable in specific situations compared
to others.
Destination Moon (2nd Floor)
1) What fields of science and aspect(s) of aerospace science or technology are presented? Be specific.
Fields of science touched upon in this hall are physical, biological, and astronomical. Aspects
of technology touched upon are mechanical and electrical and space engineering, medical
support, and cameras.
2) What specific concepts, discoveries, or inventions are portrayed? Select three (3) such examples from EACH gallery
Specific concepts touched upon were past human beliefs about life on the moon (such as the
Chinese myth about a girl who drank the elixir of immortality and went to live there), rockets,
and having people survive on the way to and within space.
3) How does the gallery convey information relevant to 2 above: give specific examples of
specimens, drawings, texts, graphics, etc.
The gallery conveys information relevant to rockets through its life-size models of the
modules, along with scale-models of various rockets used. The gallery conveys information
about human survival on the way to and in space through examples of failures in engineering
and the improvements necessary (such as the section on rocket hatches) and the suits necessary
for space travel (as shown by the life-size model of an Apollo suit).
4) What education level do you think the hall is aimed at, and why?
The hall seems to be aimed at teenagers and adults under 60. Much of the information is given
in the form of wordy posters, which makes it not too efficient at informing kids. The
information is also mostly historical in nature, which wouldnt be particularly relevant for
someone who lived through that age in history.
5) To what degree does the exhibit include interactive components (e.g., hands-on
activities, computers, etc.)? [If the hall doesnt, please suggest an interactive component
they could use!]
The interactive section consists of a computer with a small quiz where you can make vital
decisions that alter the space race and an astronauts journey.
6) Do you find that the interactive components were effective at conveying the
information? If yes, explain how (using specifics); if no, explain why not (again, using
specifics). [If N/A, put N/A]
Not really, the small quiz was accurate in information the results were interesting, but the
process itself was quite boring, and too complex for younger children (I saw one who was
about ten years old that had no idea what the quiz was about and where randomly pressing
buttons).
One World Connected (2nd Floor)
1) What fields of science and aspect(s) of aerospace science or technology are presented? Be specific.
Fields of science touched upon are the geographical and radiowave sciences. Technologies
touched upon are navigational aids, aero engineering, and satellite engineering.
2) What specific concepts, discoveries, or inventions are portrayed? Select three (3) such examples from EACH gallery
Specific concepts touched upon were navigation in the modern-day and logistic transportation.
Technologies touched upon were satellites.
3) How does the gallery convey information relevant to 2 above: give specific examples of
specimens, drawings, texts, graphics, etc.
The gallery conveys information related to navigation through an exhibit related to GPS and
how it works (along with how people formerly navigated in the past). The gallery conveys
information about satellites through various scale models and posters that explain how we use
them in our daily lives.
4) What education level do you think the hall is aimed at, and why?
The hall is aimed at children and teens. Most of the interactive exhibits were on the simpler
end, and staff were there to explain to younger children how it worked. Yet there were still
some posters that were quite wordy and would require a higher reading level to understand.
The hall isnt exactly aimed at adults (though it is still engaging for them), since most adults
have seen these technologies be developed and implemented in their lifetimes.
5) To what degree does the exhibit include interactive components (e.g., hands-on
activities, computers, etc.)? [If the hall doesnt, please suggest an interactive component
they could use!]
The hall includes an interactive exhibit about how air pressure works and an interactive exhibit
about how radios work.
6) Do you find that the interactive components were effective at conveying the
information? If yes, explain how (using specifics); if no, explain why not (again, using
specifics). [If N/A, put N/A]
The interactive components were effective at conveying the information. The one on air
pressure explained how it affects boiling point and technologies (along with us). The one on
radios was simple enough for even children to understand.
D) Astronomy is a difficult subject to portray in museums, and is a field in which new
discoveries are being made all the time, sometimes greatly changing our previous
understanding. How did the exhibit designers portray astronomical concepts and how (if
at all) they tried to make updated information available to the visitors?
Exhibit designers portrayed astronomical concepts in terms of references that we could
understand (charts depicting or talking about the solar system usually had the Earth as a
reference point). The information was pretty up-to-date, and fields where new discoveries will
be made where clearly stated to be works-in-progress (so instead of stating that there have been
5,000 exoplanets discovered to date, a number that would change within the year, the exhibit
states something along the lines of 5,000+ exoplanets have been discovered, which accounts
for future discoveries)
SGC Gallery and On-Line Projects: