NATIONAL AIR AND SPACE MUSEUM EXCURSION
Saturday, February 24th, 10:45am
Destination Moon
The Destination Moon exhibit demonstrates the fields of spaceflight and lunar exploration. Aerospace technologies like artifacts from Apollo, like Neil Armstrong's spacesuit and the gallery shows how this tech helped man walk on the moon. The Gemini VII capsule was on display, a capsule from a NASA spacecraft that launched astronauts Frank Borman and Jim Lovell on a 14-day mission in 1965. The Apollo 11 Command Module was also present, aka the living quarters for the three-person crew during the first crewed lunar landing mission in July 1969. Eugene Kranz’s Apollo 11 Vest was there, the vest that embodied the resilient and determined mindset that characterized his mission control team. Lastly the relics of the first Moon lastly the recordings of the first moon landing stay here, as a testament to the accomplishment of the men who conquered the next frontier. The gallery shows physical relics of the moon landing like the Apollo 11 suit on display, but also offers stories and videos that go in depth on topics like the moon landing, and why we don't go back, like the stories “How do you get to the Moon?” and “Building a Moon Rocket.” This exhibit is aimed towards people with at least high school education. The exhibits are pretty rudimentary in their wording and explanation of events but still contain concepts that are interesting and complicated to understand. A good example is the “How do you get to the Moon?” The story, which isn't the most complicated in terms of wording but really grasping how impressive and complicated space travel was, especially for the time, is quite difficult. There was an interactive exhibit that had a tablet that allowed me to select multiple videos of satellite footage, lander footage, rocket footage, etc and play it back to see how certain space events unfolded. There was also a massive table that allowed you to look at different spaceships closely by tapping on them. I think the interactive components were very useful in making the museum feel more than just a place to observe, because you can actually touch and interact with history, which really plants the memory of the museum in your head a lot better. For example, the satellite footage interactive component greatly helped me understand how these things actually happened because instead of just hearing an explanation that sounded ridiculous, the process was demonstrated to me which allowed me to understand it better.
One World Connected
One World Connected aimed to show the development of telecommunications technology and how it relates to space. It showed off things like supercomputing, the advent of the Internet and high speed data, and a section about the ISS and how it brought perspective to the place of Earth among the cosmos. It included a cutaway of a supercomputer to show its intricacies, and a replica of the ISS cupola to display how it looked to gaze down upon Earth from orbit. This hall felt like it was aimed at a slightly higher education level than Destination Moon, maybe more at a high school level, because it featured things that took slightly more comprehension to find impressive compared to the more obviously interesting moon exhibits. Its interactive exhibits are a spherical globe projection screen and the aforementioned replica of the ISS cupola. I thought the sphere was good at holding people’s attention and providing a short show, and while the cupola was impressive, I think it could have been both more central to the exhibit, and greatly improved upon by connecting to the ISS live feed of the cupola rather than an obviously pre-recorded video.
Exploring the Planets
A variety of more abstract models of astronomical data are displayed in Exploring the Planets, with a primary focus on planets within our solar system but also some planets outside of it. It displays scale replicas of the planets, a model of the Voyager spacecraft, and a number of glass panels with images of stars that have been found. This show is presumably aimed at the same educational level as the previous one, with a concentration on general interest but with a stronger emphasis on text and less visually striking items. The exhibit has a number of interactive components, such as a projection chamber in the center with a domed ceiling that displays information and images of the surfaces of several planets on multiple screens mounted on the walls. Additionally, a straightforward mechanical orrery with a laser line displayed how eclipses aligned Jupiter and one of its moons. The orrery was an excellent example, in my opinion, since it was genuinely hands-on and presented eclipses—a seemingly complicated concept—in an understandable way. The dome screen was similar to Connected Earth's main attraction, but I felt it was better overall. It was comparable, but not as much. It could have been better by projecting Connected Earth or itself in a different format instead of onto something, and given the significance of the Voyager probe to space travel, I believe it would have made a fantastic centerpiece.
Methodology
For those who are unfamiliar with astronomy, it can be challenging to understand, but the NASM offers a variety of approaches—many of which will be covered in this article—that make it easier for these people to comprehend. First, the exhibits effectively explained complex ideas through the use of interactive displays. For example, touchscreen displays were used to showcase various planetary atmospheres and other interesting/important objects, as well as to explain planetary creation. Additionally, they have enormous representations of the planets and moons that help visitors understand the vastness of our solar system. Additionally, they offer booklets and brochures that can highlight important ideas and offer in-depth information. One World Connected uses digital displays to present the most recent astronomical photos and data as one approach to display up-to-date information. These can be updated often with new findings from missions or space telescopes. New information on a planet's composition or atmosphere might be included by text or images on these interchangeable panels, which are designed with modular sections for quick updating. The NASM exhibitions employ a combination of these techniques in an effort to present astronomical ideas in a way that is both educational and sensitive to the rapidly changing field of astronomy.