Transit Authority

Posted on April 5, 2011 by The National Air and Space Museum

On the morning of March 2, I got an excited text message from fellow astronomy educator Shelley Witte, telling me that the International Space Station (ISS) and Space Shuttle Discovery would be coming very close to transiting the Sun from our position at the National Air and Space Museum’s Public Observatory at exactly 3:08 pm. A transit is when one object in space passes in front of another object; in this case it was the ISS and Discovery passing in front of the Sun, appearing as a dark shape on the Sun’s disk. She got this information from calsky.com, a website that lets observers know when and where the ISS will be passing overhead at any location, including any encounters with the Sun, Moon, planets, or bright stars. We were unsure about whether or not we could actually see the transit across the Sun, since we were just outside of the predicted path, but we decided to try our luck.

We have several telescopes, which let through different types of light that highlight different features on the Sun. For the transit of the ISS, we used our Tele Vue-85 refracting telescope equipped with a filter that significantly dims the Sun’s light evenly, letting through the light from the Sun’ surface. Using this filter, we can see sunspots in great detail.

Sunspots through Tele Vue-85

We set up our Sun imaging laptop, telescope, and video camera at about 3:00 pm, and waited for the big moment. Fellow Astronomy Educators Katie Moore, Shelley Witte, and other Museum staff and volunteers eagerly watched a large monitor connected to the laptop displaying a live image of what the video camera could see through the telescope. We began recording a video at 3:07 pm, and waited. At 3:10 pm, we were still waiting for something to happen, and concluded that the ISS and shuttle Discovery must have been too far away from the Sun after all.

The next Friday, I decided to look more carefully at the video just to make sure that we had not captured anything. About one minute into the video I saw something streak across the top left corner of the Sun and disappear as quickly as it had come. We HAD caught the ISS and Discovery passing in front of the Sun! Somehow none of the six people watching in real time had seen it with their own eyes.

I was able to process each frame of the video that caught the ISS streaking across the Sun, and make it into a series of images that shows its progression. I also processed a nice still image that shows most of the ISS’ silhouette against the bright Sun. Unfortunately you cannot see Discovery, even though it was docked with the ISS at the time of the transit. We were all overjoyed to have captured such a rare and fleeting event!

This image of the International Space Station transiting the Sun was taken on March 2, 2011 at 3:08 pm from the terrace outside of the Pubic Observatory. The ISS is transiting the Sun to the upper left.

This series of images shows the ISS moving across the Sun in slow motion, and repeats to allow you to see the details.

Erin Braswell is an astronomy educator in the Public Observatory of the National Air and Space Museum.

Jumping In Tweet First

Posted on April 3, 2011 by Vicki Portway

On Saturday, March 19, I was thrilled to participate in the first ever Sun-Earth Day Tweetup organized by the NASA Goddard Spaceflight Center. It was also the first time the Smithsonian officially participated in a Tweetup. The event was a great opportunity to give twitter fans (aka “tweeps”) some face-to-face interaction with our research scientists, curators and educators, and provide some fun hands-on learning that illustrated the Sun-Earth connection.

We had discussed the idea of holding a Tweetup at the National Air and Space Museum for some time, so when Aleya Van Doren at NASA Goddard asked our Museum to participate in the Sun-Earth Day Tweetup, it was a no-brainer for me and co-host Isabel Lara in our Office of Communications. We jumped at the opportunity to partner with NASA, learn from their experience, and meet some great Twitter fans. Museum educators, scientists, and volunteers were eager to participate as well, and we enlisted two of our social media friends at the Smithsonian, Sarah Banks (National Museum of Natural History) and Sarah Taylor (Public Affairs), to help us host.

On the big day, 100 Tweetup participants and NASA Goddard team members arrived at the Museum before we opened to the public. Usually, this is a quiet time in the Museum, but that day there was a great deal of activity as staff and volunteers prepared for the Kites of Asia Family Day. After watching the “3D SUN” IMAX film (as perhaps the first group of theater patrons ever encouraged to use our phones – we had to tweet, after all!), everyone split up into groups and took off to explore learning stations setup around the Museum.

RT JoeCLucas: Watching the surface of the sun in 3D on an IMAX screen. Freaking awesome. #nasatweetup#sed2011

The pace was very fast as we moved through the activities. Educator Dr. Steve Williams described Galileo’s observations of the Sun some 400 years ago, and showed copies of his original drawings, which are in the Smithsonian collection. Participants were able to touch a 4.6 billion year old Allende meteorite, leftover debris from the formation of the solar system. Astronomy curator Dr. David DeVorkin talked about telescopic observations of the Sun made from the Skylab Orbital Workshop in the 1970s, and the legacy of Skylab’s Apollo Telescope Mount in today’s Solar Dynamics Observatory. Planetary geologist Sharon Wilson Purdy described her work on the Mars HiRISE mission and explained the role of the Sun in studying seasonal and global climate change on Mars. Tweeps got a chance to view the Sun through three different telescopes outside by our Public Observatory. The forecast had been for cloudy skies all week, so we were relieved when Saturday came and the skies were clear. The viewing of sun spots and solar prominences was great! Our three astronomy educators Katie Moore, Erin Braswell, and Shelley Witte, and volunteer Heather Goss, were all on hand to answer questions. Tweeps were excited to learn one of the telescopes they were looking through was a real Dobsonian telescope built by amateur astronomer John Dobson in 1988. Everyone was tweeting the experience and sharing photos using the #sed2011 and #NASATweetup hash tags.

RT @chaalz: Just touched a rock that was created before our solar system was created. #NASATweetup#SED2011

A Tweetup participant views the Sun through an original Dobsonian telescope. Photo by Todd Stowell.

RT: @pilotconway: Saw some sun spots. So cool. #sed2011#nasatweetup

Tweetup participants could view solar prominences through two telescopes. This image of the Sun’s chromosphere was taken through one of the telescopes at the Public Observatory that day. Image by Shelley Witte.

Last but not least, tweeps took a quick tour of Museum highlights led by our knowledgeable volunteer docents, many of whom are pilots, engineers, or scientists and have had amazing careers in the aviation and space industry. Days before the event, I told them not to worry if the group was looking down at their phones a lot; it just means they’re telling everyone about the cool things they’re learning on their tours! Participants saw objects representing early powered flight to landing humans on the Moon and beyond, including the 1903 Wright Flyer, Spirit of St. Louis, Moon rock, Apollo 11 Command Module Columbia, and SpaceShipOne.

RT @CG____: Amazing. Only 66 years elapsed between Wright Bros flight and landing on the moon. #NASATweetup @airandspace

RT @adcunningham: Do you want to inspire a kid today? Bring him/her to @airandspace#sed2011#nastweetup

All of the Tweetup participants were friendly and fun, but I have to say I have a particular fondness for NASA SDO’s BFF Camilla Corona SDO (aka @Camilla_SDO). She was a big hit with tweeps and visitors alike, posing beside many of our most famous objects and tweeting photos and fun historical facts.

Camilla checks out sun spots on the monitor connected to one of the telescopes at the Public Observatory. Photo by Camilla Corona SDO.

The entire morning was buzzing with excitement. There was plenty of sharing going on, not just among the Tweetup participants, but also via @NASA and others who were following on Twitter. So much so that at one point, we discovered, @airandspace and @Camilla_SDO were trending on Twitter in the DC region. In the end, we all had a great time, learned and shared a lot, and we made a lot of new friends. Before the Tweetup group left to return to NASA Goddard, they posed for a photo outside the Museum.

NASA Goddard Sun Earth Day Tweetup participants and Smithsonian hosts. Photo by Mark Avino.

RT @Smithsonian: Group photo of super fun tweeps who came to @airandspace for the #sed2011#NASATweetup. Enjoy @nasagoddard! http://ow.ly/i/9kRx

RT @bsettlemyer‎ My fave was probably the solar telescopes. But the description of galileo telescope and drawing was interesting too. #NASATweetup #SED2011

Sarah Banks and I were also able to attend the NASA Goddard portion of the Tweetup, where participants watched a NASA EDGE webcast and toured the NASA Goddard facilities, meeting many of the scientists and engineers working on missions like Solar Dynamics Observatory (@NASA_SDO), Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (@LRO_NASA) and more. The NASA Goddard team produced an amazing event and we were so glad to be a part of it.

What’s next? I’m eager to see the Smithsonian host Tweetups to engage more directly with Twitter followers and provide some great behind-the-scenes access to our experts and collections. My Tweetup co-host Isabel and I are actively planning an official Tweetup at the National Air and Space Museum. Stay tuned and follow @airandspace on Twitter for more info! Also, look for the Public Observatory to start tweeting soon!

Would you like to participate in a National Air and Space Museum Tweetup? What would you like to see? Help us plan by sharing your thoughts!

Vicki Portway is Chair of the Web & New Media Division in Collections and Curatorial Affairs at the National Air and Space Museum.

In the Good Old Summertime!

Posted on March 30, 2011 by The National Air and Space Museum

The Visitor Services Division at the National Air and Space Museum is shaking off the winter doldrums and preparing for another exciting summer season. The National Air and Space Museum consists of two museum locations, the National Mall building in Washington, DC and the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center near Dulles Airport in Chantilly, VA. The National Mall building is the most visited museum in the world with over 8 million visits a year. That averages out to almost 23,000 every day! The Udvar-Hazy Center sees over one million visits every year. If you are planning on visiting one of our Museums this summer, here are some tips for an enjoyable and safe experience.

The Cherry Blossom Festival is usually the busiest time of the year. Washington, DC could see a million visitors during the week of peak bloom. Our summer season starts with the cherry blossoms and ends after Labor Day weekend. Holiday weekends, like July 4th and Memorial Day, are usually busier as well.

The National Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC

A rule of thumb is ‘the earlier the better.’ As the day progresses, the number of visitors in the Museum will increase, so try to arrive right when we open at 10 am or during the ‘lunch break’ between 12 pm and 1 pm. The National Mall building will be open until 7:30 from March 25th through September 4th and the Udvar-Hazy Center will be open until 6:30 from May 27th through September 4th; however, we will occasionally close at 5:30 for special events. Please double-check our website to see if we are going to close early on the day you plan to visit.

"Milestones of Flight" Gallery at the National Mall building.

Entrance to the Museum is free and no tickets are required. The entrances have security checks where all visitors are screened and bags are inspected. Do not bring tripods, scissors, tools and especially knives. Even pocket knives or Swiss army knives are prohibited.

If you need help while you are at the Museum, head over to the Welcome Desk, which is near the entrances to both locations. Volunteers are ready to answer your questions and give you tips for your visit. You can buy the $2 Go Smithsonian Visitor Guide, which has descriptions and maps of each Smithsonian building, or we can give you a simple free map of our Museum. Maps can also be found on our website.

Welcome Center at the National Mall building

We recommend comfortable shoes for both locations.DC is a walking city and if you come to the National Mall, you should expect to be on your feet all day. The Udvar-Hazy Center is also very large (approximately the size of three football fields) and has a concrete floor.

Sandals, flip-flops, flats and Crocs are not the best for walking. We talk to visitors every day that have broken sandals, sore feet and blisters. Try to bring band-aids; you or someone you’re with may need them. Remember to dress and pack appropriately. DC can be cool, especially in rainy weather, so check the weather forecasts right before you leave. But, DC can also get very hot, so bring plenty of water. Outside food cannot be eaten inside Smithsonian museums, but water bottles are welcome. Staying hydrated will help you get through the day.

Visiting multiple Smithsonian museums in one day can be difficult. Forgetting to eat lunch or waiting until late afternoon to eat can easily happen. Most museums have food courts inside. It could be easier to eat in a museum as there are very few restaurants around the National Mall.

The DC Metro system has several stations around the National Mall area. L’Enfant Plaza is the closest station to the National Mall building. L’Enfant is on the corner of 7th and Maryland St. SW and the museum is on 7th and Independence St. SW, only two blocks away! Use the Smithsonian Metro station to go to the National Museum of American History and the National Museum of Natural History. The Smithsonian Metro station is six blocks away from the National Air and Space Museum.

The Udvar-Hazy Center is 30 miles away from downtown DC. Visiting both locations in the same day is difficult. Traffic can be very heavy during rush hour and can lengthen your travel time significantly. Public transportation to the Udvar-Hazy Center is available, but depending on your point of departure, you may need to use a combination of public transportation options to reach the facility. Please consult MetroBus and the Virginia Regional Transit for the best routes, schedules and fares. If you are driving, the Museum has a large parking lot; however, there is a $15 parking fee for all personal vehicles. Buses park for free.

Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center

We are looking forward to seeing you at the National Air and Space Museum and the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center. If you need additional information that our website does not provide, you can email us at NASMVisitorServices@si.edu. Have a safe and enjoyable summer and we’ll see you soon!

Josh Chartier is a coordinator in the Visitor Services Division of the National Air and Space Museum.

Asking the Experts

Posted on February 17, 2011 by Tim Grove

How did you get an airplane inside the building? Is there life on other planets? What EXACTLY is GPS and how does it work? Why in the world is that in this museum?

We hear these questions every day. There’s so much that goes on in museums that people just don’t understand. And there are a lot of interesting artifacts tucked into smaller galleries that visitors simply don’t notice. Then there are the GREAT stories behind every artifact – stories that just don’t fit on a label. For instance, have you ever wondered how we acquired Gene Kranz’s famous “Failure is NOT an option” white vest? Did you know that Wilbur Wright, while playing with a cardboard box, figured out an essential component for controlling an aircraft? How about what really happened at Roswell, NM? Or about the time Howard Hughes….

Photo: Gene Kranz in his white vest. Photo courtesy NASA. The photo links to the full "Ask an Expert" lecture, given by curator Margaret Weitekamp, which tells the story behind Gene Kranz's vests and how the Museum acquired this white vest that he wore during the Apollo 13 mission.

Before I started working at the National Air and Space Museum I hadn’t heard these stories either. There are so many of them, and since I work in the Museum I get to hear them from our curators, conservators, scientists, and archivists all the time. What’s that? You’d like to hear them as well? Guess what? You can. Every Wednesday at noon we dust off one of the curators, conservators, scientists, or archivists and send one onto the museum floor during lunch to tell these stories. Each Ask an Expert talk runs about 15 minutes and then they take time to answer your questions. If you can’t make it, we record many of the talks and post them on our website. However, if you’ve got time during lunch and you’d like to join us, check out our calendar for a list of upcoming talks. I learn something new at every lecture, and I’ve been listening to our experts for years!

Beth Wilson is the Discovery Station Program Coordinator for the Mall Building.

Try Out our New Online Activities

Posted on February 3, 2011 by Tim Grove

If you’re looking for some online fun, try out several Web activities from our newest exhibition, The Barron Hilton Pioneers of Flight Gallery.

The exhibition introduces some of the colorful aviation personalities from the 1920s and 1930s.

"Tingmissartoq" Interactive

Help Charles and Anne Lindbergh pack for a trip across several continents in their airplane the Tingmissartoq. The plane can only carry 6,105 pounds, so you must choose supplies carefully. You need to anticipate possible emergency scenarios like landing on the icecap of Greenland or landing in the middle of the ocean. You will be going from cold, icy climates to tropical climates and will be visiting remote Eskimo villages and fancy diplomatic receptions. You can compare your decisions with what the Lindberghs really packed.

Douglas "World Cruiser" Interactive

Plan a flight around the world for the U.S. Army – it’s 1924 and no one has flown around the world before. First, you must figure out the logistics – which countries will welcome you and where will you be able to refuel? Your planes can only fly so many miles before needing to refuel. Next you must adapt the airplane for the trip. Your Douglas DT-2 torpedo bomber needs to meet the demands of your journey. Finally, while you may have tried to plan for the unexpected, you encounter the unexpected anyway. Face six crises that the real World Cruiser crews encountered – will you make the same decisions they made?

Design an Air Racer Interactive

Design an air racer. You are entering the air races and want to win! Design a racer that will be the fastest sea plane and will help you win the prestigious Schneider trophy. Or, design a land plane and win the Pulitzer trophy. Will you make risky decisions and try some of the latest technology or will you play it safe?

Tuskegee Airmen Interactive

Fly a bomber escort mission as flight leader of the 332^nd Fighter Group in Italy. World War II is raging and the Tuskegee Airmen are gaining a reputation as top-notch aviators. As an all African-American group, they must constantly prove their skills. The American military is segregated and the group’s reputation lies on the decisions of each of its members. Wrong decisions could cost lives and equipment, and damage the reputation. Will you make the right decisions and prove that you have the skills required to fly with the best?

A lot of effort and careful research went into each one of these activities. We first generated a list of possible ideas. We narrowed the list by asking which ideas make the best use of the technology to teach specific content. We hired a Web developer to help us. The interactives need to be thoughtfully integrated into the surrounding exhibition content. After we decided on the scenarios, we did some additional research. We had to track down photos of the World Cruiser flight and film footage of the Lindberghs. Our photographer took photos of objects in the collections – we wanted to display some of the interesting items that the Lindberghs packed on their trip. These objects had not been on display before. In some cases we also consulted with outside experts, including some of the Tuskegee Airmen themselves! What were the main decisions made by flight leaders on escort missions? What happened when things didn’t go well?

Once our designer had a prototype activity, we took it onto the floor and asked our visitors to test it. Some of the interactives, the Lindbergh one for example, went through major design changes. We wanted to ensure that people find them engaging and easy to complete. Do they take the right amount of time or are they too complicated? Will they attract the right age groups? We also tested the activities with some of our toughest critics, our National Air and Space Museum colleagues. They all had an opportunity to weigh in on the activities. When we completed usability testing and made sure visitors were getting the messages we wanted to convey, we went into final production.

So give them a try and let us know what you think. Which did you like the best? Did you learn anything new? And, if you have a chance to visit the Museum, please be sure to view the Barron Hilton Pioneers of Flight Gallery.

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

AirSpace

Category Archives: Education

Transit Authority

In the Good Old Summertime!

Asking the Experts

Try Out our New Online Activities