Page 69 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Washington, DC

NA TIONAL AIR AND SP A CE MUSEUM  67

Exploring the National Air and Space Museum on March 18, 1965. On July 20,
The Space Race
1969, the Space Race reached
The animosity that developed a climax when the world
between the United States watched as Neil Armstrong
and the Soviet Union after walked on the moon.
World War II manifested itself Other exhibits from
in the Space Race. America the Space Race include the
was taken by surprise when Skylab 4 command module,
the Soviets launched Sputnik which was used by the crew
1, the first man-made satellite, traveling to and from Skylab,
on October 4, 1957. the first American space
On April 12, 1961, Soviet station, in November 1973.
cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin The Space Race gallery shows
became the first person to the result of the final détente
orbit the earth. The Americans between the two superpowers
countered with Alan Shepard’s with the Apollo-Soyuz Test
space flight in Freedom 7 just Project. This was a purposefully
one month later. However, collaborative space mission
Shepard did not orbit the meant to symbolize a new
earth. It was not until February era of cooperation between
Rockets on display in the Space 20, 1962 that astronaut John the US and the Soviet Union.
Race gallery Glenn completed America’s It was the last Apollo flight.
first orbital flight. The first When the American Apollo
Developed between the world space walk was conducted module docked along side
wars, the F48-4 Navy fighter, used by cosmonaut Aleksi Leonov the Soviet Soyuz space craft in
by US Marine Corps squadrons, 1975, the historic “handshake
is on display in the Sea-Air in space” between astronauts
Operations gallery. Flight then and cosmonauts signaled
progressed from propeller the beginning of the end
propulsion to jets. The Jet of the Space Race.
Aviation gallery has the first
operational jet fighter, the Progress in Air and
German Mes serschmitt Me
262A, and Lulu Belle, the proto- Space Technology
type of the first US fighter jet, Mankind’s fascination with
which was used in the Korean flight is in part a desire to see
War of 1950–53. the earth from a great distance
America by Air traces the and also to get closer to other
development of commercial air planets. In the Independence
travel, from the air-mail age to Avenue lobby is artist Robert
the “glass cockpit.” This is a fun T. McCall’s interpretation of
gallery with hands-on exhibits. the birth of the universe, the
planets, and astronauts reaching
the moon.
Aviation in World Launched in 1964, the Ranger
War II
lunar probe, in the Lunar
The World War II Aviation Exploration Vehicles section,
gallery has planes from the took high-quality pictures of
Allied and the Axis air forces. the moon, and then transmitted
Nearby is an example of the them to Cape Canaveral. The
Japanese Mitsubishi A6M5 Hubble Telescope, launched from
Zero Model 52, which was a the Discovery shuttle in 1990,
light, highly maneuverable provides pictures of extremely
fighter plane. distant astronomical objects.
The easy maneuverability Moving Beyond Earth gives
of the Messerschmitt Bf 109 an insight into recent human
made it Germany’s most spaceflight and future possi-
successful fighter. It was bilities. A space shuttle model
matched, and in some areas and other launch vehicle
even surpassed, by the models, as well as astronaut
Supermarine Spitfire of the gear, are on display. Visitors
Royal Air Force, which helped can also experience aspects
to win control of the skies The spacesuit worn by John Glenn during of spaceflight through inter-
over Britain in 1940–41. his orbital flight in 1962 active computer kiosks.

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