Author Archive for Tim Grove

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Welcoming our littlest visitors to the Air and Space Museum

Published by Tim Grove on December 20, 2010 in Education.
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I was recently inspired by a fellow Smithsonian educator’s blog post at the National Museum of American History. Megan’s tips for bringing young children to the museum were so helpful that I wanted to join in the conversation with tips for bringing young children to the National Air and Space Museum.

To reiterate a couple of important things that Megan noted:

Plan Ahead: We know that when children are engaged in age-appropriate activities they are happy, so plan ahead! Check our website for family activities and programs and pick one or even two galleries to focus on.

We’re free, so don’t feel like you need to stay all day – An hour or two, or a single Story Time program or planetarium show, is about the most little ones can handle.

story time

Story time is a popular activitiy for younger children at the National Air and Space Museum.

For the National Air and Space Museum in particular:

You can enter the building from the National Mall or from Independence Avenue- but the closest Metro is L’Enfant Plaza: Although we are a Smithsonian Museum, the Smithsonian metro stop is a bit of a walk – it’s best to take the “Maryland Avenue” exit at L’Enfant plaza. Entrances on both sides of the building are stroller-friendly – but the Independence Avenue is closest to L’Enfant Plaza.

McDonald’s – We have the coolest McDonald’s serving kid-friendly fare, and you can bring your own snacks into the food court when you need to refuel.

Here is a glimpse of what you and your young children can do at the Museum:

Story Time – Story Time is an opportunity for young children to take a closer look at air and space from a child’s perspective. Stories are followed by an activity that adults can do with children. Teachers and their school groups are also welcome to Story Times; just make a reservation.

moonbear

One great story that introduces shadows is “Moonbear’s Shadow” by Frank Asch.

“One World, One Sky” Planetarium Show – If you find yourself at the Museum with young children on a Friday morning, be sure to see our special planetarium show – “One World, One Sky: Big Bird’s Adventure.” Showtime is 10:30 am and admission is free! School groups are also encouraged to join us for the show!

“I Spy” at the National Air and Space Museum – For ages 3-5 years old, our “I Spy” activity, available online,  is a great way for young children to focus in on the things that help airplanes fly!

The America by Air exhibition on the first floor and the Barron Hilton Pioneers of Flight exhibition on the second floor feature various components designed for younger visitors.

These are just some of the many activities young children can be a part of at the Museum. Let us know if this post was helpful to you – do you have other questions about bringing children to the National Air and Space Museum?

Lizzie Cammarata is the Early Childhood Program Assistant

The National Air and Space Museum at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival

Published by Tim Grove on June 29, 2010 in Behind The Scenes, Exhibitions and News & Events.
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National Air and Space Museum staff contribute to many larger Smithsonian efforts during any given year. For example, this year the Smithsonian Folklife Festival staff came calling. The 2010 Festival running June 24-28 and July 1-5, features the “culture” of the Smithsonian. “Smithsonian Inside Out” allows visitors to interact with Smithsonian experts and get a glimpse behind-the-Castle-doors, so to speak.

  • Ever wonder how we hang those huge airplanes? Museum specialist Samantha Snell will tell you.
  • Do you have questions about spacesuits? Division of Space History staff will provide some answers.
  • What kinds of skills are needed to produce a large exhibition? Hear one of the exhibit teams talk about the gallery, Moving Beyond Earth.
  • Did you know that our designers often create 3-D models of exhibitions? See some models and talk to our design staff.
  • How does Smithsonian staff collaborate with visitors? Help Smithsonian educators, including some from the National Air and Space Museum, test a variety of exhibition components.
  • What’s the latest news from Mars? Meet some of the scientists in the Center for Earth and Planetary Studies and hear about their latest research projects.
Andy Johnson

Andy Johnston of the Center for Earth and Planetary Studies talks about satellite images of Earth at the Smithsonian's annual Folklife Festival.

Jennifer Carlton

Designer Jennifer Carlton shows designs for the new Pioneers of Flight exhibition at the National Air and Space Museum.

So, grab a water bottle, some sunscreen, and a hat, and visit us at the festival. Don’t miss this rare opportunity to see a different perspective of the Smithsonian. Check the Festival website http://www.festival.si.edu/2010/smithsonian_inside_out.aspx for specific schedules.

Tim Grove is chief of Education at the National Air and Space Museum’s Mall building.

Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics… and Pre-Kindergarten

Published by Tim Grove on June 22, 2010 in Education, News & Events and Stories.
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President Obama’s “Educate to Innovate” campaign, announced last year, calls for increased literacy in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) for all students. Increased STEM literacy means increased understanding of key scientific concepts, increased familiarity with technology and its applications, and increased exposure to the experimental process.

As one of the world’s most popular museums, our stories of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics are engaging and relevant to old and young visitors alike. Just spend a day counting the number of school groups and young families ooh-ing and aah-ing over our exhibits! To all our staff and visitors, it’s obvious that the National Air and Space Museum is a key component of President Obama’s goals  to inform, challenge, and inspire students through STEM education.

One exciting way we are able to support STEM education in the DC Public Schools is through the Science in Pre-K Program, funded by PNC Bank’s Grow Up Great With Science program. Now starting its second year, Science in Pre-K provides professional development to DCPS preschool teachers to support teaching science through exploration and problem solving.

Science in Pre-K Session

Teachers explore the mechanics of water flow at the National Air and Space Museum during a Science in Pre-K session.

A core component of the Science in Pre-K program is giving teachers opportunities to explore science concepts themselves, before they introduce these ideas to their students. Too often teachers are asked to implement science units before they themselves are familiar with the material, particularly with early childhood and elementary teachers, who often don’t have strong science backgrounds. Early childhood staff met with teachers at the museum seven times during the school year for full-day science inquiry sessions. Teachers explored using the same materials their students used. Additionally, significant time was spent discussing the scientific concepts and theories behind their observations and discoveries.

Kids with a propeller

Science in Pre-K students check out the hands-on propeller in the Wright Brothers gallery.

Back in the classroom, 3- and 4-year-olds made connections between their daily science explorations and the bigger picture at the National Air and Space Museum. For example, during a recent unit on the properties of water, students explored water movement in their classrooms with tubes and water wheels. During their field trip at the National Air and Space Museum, students heard the story of Orville and Wilbur Wright’s first airplane making connections between how water flows and how air flows – and, how early airplanes used propellers to help them fly.

Connections like these, between the classroom and museums, are not only fun but critical in exciting teachers about STEM education – and children about STEM subjects. With the Science in Pre-K program at the National Air and Space Museum, teachers are equipped to inspire and instruct a new generation of scientists and engineers!

Lise Zinck is the Science in Pre-K program assistant in the Early Childhood Education department.

Stewardesses, a radical idea

Published by Tim Grove on May 15, 2010 in Aviation, Exhibitions and History.
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This month marks 80 years of female flight attendants. It’s hard to imagine a time without them, but until 1930, airlines employed male stewards. That changed when Ellen Church, a nurse from Iowa, approached Steve Simpson at Boeing Air Transport (later United Airlines) with the radical idea of putting women nurses on airliners.  Church had wanted to be a pilot, but realized that she had no chance for that in the climate of the day. She convinced Simpson that the presence of female employees might help relieve the public’s fear of flying. Church developed the job description and training program for the first class of eight stewardesses, called the “original eight.”

Original Eight

United Air Lines' "Original Eight" female flight attendants.

Upon completion of the class, Church worked the Oakland to Chicago route.  She served only eighteen months when an automobile accident grounded her. After her recovery she returned to nursing, and her stint as a stewardess was over.  However, her idea transformed the airline industry.  Did you know that the first stewardesses were required to have nursing experience? Qualifications for flight attendants have changed a lot over the years.  At one time airlines required stewardesses to have an appearance  “just below Hollywood standards.” Today, some would argue that the glamor is gone.  What do you think?

Stewardess

1960's flight attendant in a uniform designed by Emilio Pucci. The plastic bubble helmet, to protect hairdos on windy tarmacs, was an integral part of the Pucci-designed uniforms.

Try out this fun online checklist and see if you could have qualified to be a flight attendant in the early 1950s.

To explore more about the history of commercial aviation, check out our online version of the exhibition America by Air.

“There is still a newness about air travel, and, though statistics demonstrate its safety, the psychological effect of having a girl on board is enormous.”

-  Comment about the addition of stewardesses from an airline magazine, 1935

Tim Grove is Chief of Education at the National Air and Space Museum’s Mall building.

Spacesuit in need of repair

Published by Tim Grove on April 5, 2010 in Behind The Scenes, On View at the Museum and space.
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I have a really cool job.  When I’m out and someone asks: “What do you do?” I reply: “I work at the National Air and Space Museum.”  The response is usually: “Wow, that’s cool” and then I say: “Yes it is very cool.”  One of the things that makes being an educator here great is our teaching collection. I’m lucky, I work with a curatorial and collections staff that considers our needs as educators and provides the public with deaccessioned items they can touch and examine up close.   Our teaching collection currently contains real space food, shuttle tiles, bits of airplanes, meteorites, uniforms and other assorted items.  However, not all the items are real; our most popular replica is the shuttle era space suit.  The suit has been part of the Discovery Station Program for over ten years.  It was purchased with a grant from the Smithsonian Women’s Committee and is part of the Living and Working in Space Discovery Station, our most popular station, largely because of the suit.  The station gets an average of 40,000 visitors yearly, but that’s only a portion of the crowds the suit sees.  It has also become a key object used for family days, story times and school tours.

Mock Space Shuttle Suit

Mock Space Shuttle Suit

Beth Wilson demostrates dressing for spaceBeth Wilson demostrates dressing for space.

Beth Wilson demonstrates dressing for space

During the summer of 2006, I was rolling the suit back into its case and the glove fell off.  I took a good look at the suit and was distressed to see how it was aging.  Hundreds of thousands of hands touching it over the years had taken their toll. But I allowed it to be used with the public while I pondered where I could find $45,000 to replace it.  With no funding forthcoming, the suit just wouldn’t survive another busy season. I decided that it should remain on view in its case and brought out only for special programs.

As the Museum’s Development office looked for funding sources, someone mentioned our aging suit to ILC Dover’s Bill Ayrey.  ILC Dover is the company that designs and manufactures NASA’s space suits, beginning with the Apollo Missions.  Bill generously offered to repair the suit.   So, last fall Bill drove down, picked up our suit and took it to ILC Dover.  The very talented seamstresses sewed on new arms, Bill cleaned the pants, re-stuffed the suit, acquired recent mission patches and updated the gloves.  The crew at ILC Dover could not have been more helpful or generous with their time and talent. I am grateful for all the effort that went into the refurbishment.  I can honestly say it looks brand new.  In fact, Bill and his crew did such a good job that an ILC employee mistook it for a real shuttle suit!

ILC Seamstresses pose with the newly repaired suit

The suit made it back to the museum last month. I was on the phone with a colleague at another museum when the call came in that Bill had arrived.  I told her: “I’m sorry.  I’ll have to call you later, my space suit is back from ILC!”  To which she replied: “You have the coolest job ever.”   “Yes,” I said. “Yes, I do.”

Beth Wilson is the Discovery Station Program Coordinator at the National Air and Space Museum.

A Lindbergh Treasure Trove

Published by Tim Grove on March 29, 2010 in Aviation, Behind The Scenes, Exhibitions, Highlights from the Collection and History.
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National Air and Space Museum staff are hard at work renovating the Pioneers of Flight gallery, scheduled to open later this year.  It will be filled with the fascinating stories of the colorful personalities of early aviation, including Jimmy Doolittle, Bessie Coleman, Amelia Earhart, and Charles and Anne Lindbergh, plus Robert Goddard and other rocket pioneers.  One of the featured artifacts is the newly cleaned Lockheed Sirius Tingmissartoq, the dual cockpit plane that carried Charles and Anne Lindbergh on their exploratory trips across several continents in 1931 and 1933.  The trips made headlines and were the basis for two popular books written by Anne, North to the Orient and Listen, the Wind!

Cognizant of their place in history, the Lindberghs carefully saved the majority of items they packed for the trips. Now after several decades in storage, many will be on display for the first time.  Museum visitors will be amazed at the collection and will recognize Lindbergh’s impressive planning insight.  Because most people pack for travel at some point, visitors of all backgrounds will connect to the challenges of what to take on such lengthy trips.  From malted milk tablets (the granola bars of the day), to an almost 11 ft. long wooden sled, snowshoes and ice crampons (in case of emergency landing on Greenland’s ice cap) to a rubber boat with mast and sail (in case of emergency landing at sea), the plane was carefully packed with items to anticipate every possible emergency scenario.  More amusing objects include insect repellent and cans of food rations like beef tongue.

Tingmissartoq

The Lockheed Model 8 Sirius "Tingmissartoq" on display in the Pioneers of Flight gallery at the National Mall building.

Each time I work on an exhibition, I become intrigued with several specific artifacts.  With this gallery, one is the armbrust cup.  This strange object worn over the face, converts condensation from breath into drinking water – for use in emergency landings at sea.  Since weight restrictions were an ever-present challenge, the Lindberghs could take only a limited supply of water. Lindbergh had read about this new invention before his solo flight across the Atlantic and took one along.  He also took them along on the trips in the Sirius.  There is no record that he or Anne used them, thanks to smooth flights, but perhaps they helped provide peace of mind.  Obviously he considered them worth their added weight.

One question we had was the correct name of the artifact.  We encountered several spellings and were not sure which was correct.  In Anne’s books, it is listed as an “armburst” cup.  Finally, our curator did some excellent sleuthing and found the original patent, given to Charles W. Armbrust.  Who out there has heard of an Armbrust cup? Have you read Anne Lindbergh’s books listed above?  What did you think?  Let us know.

Armbrust Cup

The Armbrust Cup, worn over the face, converts condensation from breath into drinking water – for use in emergency landings at sea. Charles and Anne Lindbergh carried them on their exploratory trips across several continents in 1931 and 1933.

Tim Grove is Acting Chief of Education at the National Air and Space Museum, National Mall Building.

Catching Rays

Published by Tim Grove on March 22, 2010 in Astronomy, On View at the Museum and Planetary Science.
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As spring quickly approaches and being outside is becoming more and more inviting, we Public Observatory staff continue to enjoy spending time outside with our portable telescopes.  Every sunny day between 12:30 p.m. and 2 p.m., except for Mondays, we invite visitors near the Independence Avenue entrance to take a look at the sun through our specially equipped telescopes.

Observing

The Sun is approaching the active portion of its 11-year cycle, so visitors these days are now more likely to catch a glimpse of an interesting feature on the surface of the Sun.  Many visitors have been able to observe dark sunspot groups in our white light telescope, or spy an interesting prominence in the sun’s atmosphere through the telescope equipped with a hydrogen alpha filter.  However, the sunspots eventually move out of view and the prominences stop being quite so, well, prominent.

Luckily, there is a way to preserve these fleeting features so that all visitors will get a chance to see them regardless of how the sun chooses to behave that day. We have started taking pictures of the Sun’s interesting features through our different telescopes.  Here are those images for your viewing pleasure!

Sun

Here is an image of the Sun that was taken right here at the Museum on February 18th. In order to capture this image, we used a camera attached to our hydrogen alpha telescope. This telescope reveals the Sun’s chromosphere, filtering out all light except the red light given off by excited hydrogen atoms.  This image shows the two large prominences that appeared on the Sun that day. You can also see some surface texture on the Sun, which is called granulation. If you were to look through our hydrogen alpha telescope, this is pretty much exactly what you’d be able to see!

Progresssion

We took pictures later on in the day to see how the prominence changed, and could take pictures the next day as well. Over time, this loop prominence became twisted before disappearing from our view.

Sun

We took this picture of the Sun’s chromosphere with our Calcium-K telescope on March 4th. The Calcium K telescope filters out all but the purple light coming from excited Calcium atoms in the Sun’s atmosphere. You might notice a few brighter spots on the Sun’s surface, especially near the top right. These are hotter areas on the Sun called plages (pronounced like you’re saying “blah” except with a p).

Super Prom

We took this image of a super-prominence in the chromosphere of the Sun using our hydrogen-alpha telescope on March 17th.  This prominence is truly gigantic; it’s about 5 earths tall 22 earths long!

While these pictures are pretty great, nothing quite compares to seeing the sun live through a telescope. It’s always exciting to see what the Sun is up to on any given day. We’re outside the Museum every sunny day except for Monday between 12:30 p.m. and 2 p.m., so stop by and catch a few rays!

Erin Braswell is an Astronomy Educator at the National Air and Space Museum

Another First for The Museum – Virtual Conferences

Published by Tim Grove on November 3, 2009 in History, News & Events, space and Web & New Media.
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Astronaut John W. Young, commander of the Apollo 16 lunar landing mission, jumps up from the lunar surface as he salutes the U.S. Flag during the first Apollo 16 extravehicular activity (EVA). NASA Image #GPN-2000-001131

The National Air and Space Museum is holding its first ever virtual conference for educators on Tuesday, November 10 from 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. EST.   Since we’re in the middle of the 40th anniversary commemorations of the Apollo missions, we decided to focus on this important period in American history.  Staff from our Division of Space History will discuss some fascinating topics such as the real story behind President Kennedy’s famous speech challenging Congress to send Americans to the Moon;  the role of computers—a new technology in the 1960s; the myth of presidential leadership during this time period; the intersections of Ralph Abernathy, the Civil Rights Movement, and the Moon landing; the rise of six iconic Apollo images and how they have been used over time; and the denials of the Moon landings by a small segment of the population and their evolution since the 1960s.  They will also explain the complexity behind the Saturn Rocket, the Command, Service, and Lunar Modules and the technique of Lunar-Orbital Rendezvous.   Museum educators will provide tips for helping students analyze primary source materials. The program will support the NASA History Advanced Placement and Human Geography Advanced Placement projects and is generously funded by NASA.

As an added bonus, Apollo astronaut John Young graciously agreed to record a special invitation to participate in the conference and answered some of our questions about his experiences in space.

New to virtual conferencing? A virtual or online conference is similar to other professional conferences only you access it online. Registration is free and open to everyone. And since we know people are busy and the conference schedule will not be convenient for everyone interested, all the conference sessions are recorded and archived so you can play them at any time.

Whether you’re an educator or not, we invite you to join us for this free event.  And, help us spread the word!

Visit the Smithsonian Virtual Conference web site for more information and to register.

Tim Grove is an education specialist in the National Air and Space Museum’s Education Division.

One Way Museum Visitors Help Develop Exhibitions

Published by Tim Grove on July 22, 2009 in Behind The Scenes, Exhibitions, space and Web & New Media.
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A Museum evaluator talks with visitors as they try a new interactive.

Last week we began evaluating the first of four new computer interactives that will go into the upcoming “Moving Beyond Earth” exhibition. Visitors got to test their space knowledge with a simulation of Space Flight Academy, a quiz format that will allow up to fifteen people to play at a time. Over the next month we will give visitors the opportunity to help us test three more interactives: one is a multi-touch table where six people at a time will gather around and design their own space station modules; one allows the visitor to play the role of flight director in a real-life mission scenario; and one matches a visitor’s interests and skills with several fascinating jobs in the space industry.

Visitors try out a new interactive still in development.

Most Museum visitors don’t realize how much work goes into each and every interactive component in an exhibition. Whether it’s mechanical or computer-based, an interactive must have several qualities:
• It must be engaging – visitors must want to do it
• It must have an educational point – yes, we want our visitors to learn!
• It must complement and support the major themes of the exhibition around it
• It must be easy to understand – if visitors are confused they won’t complete it
• It must withstand the use and abuse of millions of hands per year – we don’t want it to be broken constantly

At the National Air and Space Museum, interactives are often designed completely in-house, but sometimes we hire help from the outside. In either case the process combines a tremendous amount of creative energy with accurate and well-researched content. Once we have a solid idea, we then ask our incredibly talented production staff to come up with a plan to build it.  Sometimes they come up with the brilliant ideas.

Other interactives in the works will give visitors an opportunity to accompany the Tuskegee Airmen on a mission over Germany, to help Charles and Anne Lindbergh pack for their flight on the Tingmissartoq, to arrange logistics for the Douglas World Cruisers’ round-the-world-flight, and to design an airplane so it will be competitive in the air races. Another one will allow visitors to decode a Morse code message, explaining the process of sending and receiving messages as Anne Lindbergh did as radio operator for her husband’s exploratory flights on the Tingmissartoq.

Interactives make any exhibition a more active experience, and we couldn’t develop them without the opinions of our visitors who agree to test the prototypes. If you visit the Museum and someone asks you to try an interactive, help us out! We want your input!

Tim Grove is acting Chief of Education at the National Air and Space Museum’s building on the National Mall.

The challenge of exhibiting "space"

Published by Tim Grove on May 18, 2009 in Behind The Scenes, Exhibitions and space.
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P1010255
Photo by Tim Grove

Watching the broadcast of the Space Shuttle Atlantis lifting off into the blue sky last week brought back memories of a research trip to the Kennedy Space Center last fall.  National Air and Space Museum staff members are hard at work on a new exhibition about the history of the space shuttle era and the International Space Station.  The trip included behind-the-scenes tours of various facilities at the Center and an up-close look at launch pad 39A with an elevator ride to 195 feet and a peek inside the entry hatch of Atlantis. What a thrill!

The challenge before the exhibition team is how to translate the enormity of the shuttle (positioned for flight, it’s taller than the Statue of Liberty) and the extreme conditions of space into a 5,000 square foot exhibition that is engaging, interactive and educational.  We can’t replicate the amazing Kennedy Space Center views or simulate a launch, but our partnership with NASA allows us access to fascinating artifacts and video footage.  In the end, our goal is to create an exhibition that capitalizes on the Smithsonian’s unique ability to provide museum visitors with a look at cool stuff, while learning an accurate story, and making personal connections to our nation’s history.  Phase I of the exhibition opens in October.

Tim Grove is acting Chief of Education at the National Air and Space Museum’s building on the National Mall.