Steven Udvar-Hazy Space Center

Welcome to the Steven Udvar-Hazy Center..an extension of the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. I fell into geek heaven while i was here. The Shuttle, Enterprise, was there. It never flew, but it was used for landing and other research before flight. It was a test vehicle

There were old planes like this on display in a huge hangar of planes dating back from pre-WWI all the way up to the new space age vehicles.

The Space Shuttle Enterprise was on display and i even got my picture taken in front of it! I can't believe, still, that i saw a real NASA Space Test Vehicle. Oh, my gosh, it was HUGE, and intimidating. I stood underneath it, and felt so incredibly small! But it was amazing, it really was. I spent most of the day in the Space Hangar. Like that's a surprise?

This is a model of the Discovery, also known as NASA's return to flight vehicle. Discovery flew after both the Challenger, and Columbia disasters, hence why it's known as the "return to Flight" vehicle. It will actually arive at Udvar-Hazy on Tuesday. Unfortunately, i couldn't stay to see it's arrival. But Maybe i will get to see it next time i go. I can't believe the shuttle program is over. But i won't get political here.

This is a gemini Capsule. It was used to test EVA procedures, to make sure that astronauts could do what they needed to on the moon. But, first, we had to trest the procedures in Orbit. Hence, The Gemini Program. What a program it was. If you want to find the most interesting part of NASA's early Space Program, research Gemini. That's a story for you.

This is the Enola Gay- You remember, it dropped the bomb "Little Boy" on Hiroshima. I learned that another bomber the "Bocks Car" dropped "fat man" on Nagasaki, and Enola Gay was only there as reconaissance.

So thanks for taking the tour with me! Indulge a Martian her obsession, yes? :) Hope you get inspired to go there next!

Martian