February 18-21, 2001
The story is told here in the words of my journal entries. I have retained most errors, although I have omitted some irrelevant parts. The narrative is interspersed with the photographs I shot. The captions of these, which sometimes explain holes in the narrative, are enclosed in brackets and italicized.
Sunday, February 18, 2001[photo: Planes lined up at the United B Concourse of Denver International Airport. The foremost plane is a 727.]
I slept terrible last night. I was too excited to doze off that I stayed awake half the night, and when I did fall asleep, it was from exhaustion.Dad woke me up at 5:30 so we could get to the airport and catch our early flight. He drove us to the bus, which we rode to the airport. We were able to get onto the first plane to Newark from DIA...
[photo: The distinctive tent roofs of the DIA main terminal are supposed to look like the mountains...I think. A Frontier Airlines 737 parked at the A Concourse is visible at the left of the frame.]
[photo: A Vanguard 737 just after getting sprayed with deicing fluid. (Our plane, an MD-80, got the same treatment.) Vanguard Airlines went bankrupt in 2002.]
During the flight, about midway through, the captain announced that the city of Chicago would appear below us pretty soon. Heather and I went to the other side of the plane and looked down. There was a cluster of skyscrapers, on the edge of which was a tall building. The Sears Tower, maybe? I don't know, because it could be either that or the John Hancock Building. The photographs will tell.[photo: And that they did. The tower I saw was the Sears Tower, not very easy to spot in this picture.]
[photo: The Sears Tower is visible around the center of the picture. Note the ice on Lake Michigan.]
On our approach to Newark, a large number of skyscrapers dotted the distant land. New York City! Before landing, I was able to pick out the World Trade Center, the Citibank Building (or Citicorp?), the Empire State Building, and my all-time favorite skyscraper in the world, the Chrysler Building! We also saw the Statue of Liberty, but the doesn't count as a skyscraper. Heather had never been to New York before.[photo: This photograph was outdated six months later. The sillohuette of the World Trade Center is readily discernible right of center. Also note the Empire State Building, on the left of the picture, and the pervasive brown cloud.]
After a number of difficulties with our plane, we finally got into the air and flew to Washington Dulles airport. We met Joe (Heather's uncle) and Raluca (his wife) at the airport, and we drove to their home.[The plane on the leg from Newark to Washington Dulles was a turboprop ATR 42.]
Monday, February 19, 2001
This one day has got to rank up there at least on the top ten list...We rode the metro to the Mall. On the way, Heather and I entertained ourselves with trying to keep our balance while the train accelerated. I was insanely excited.
[photo:
I got Heather to take this
picture of me in front of an open machine that sold Farecards for the
D.C.
Metro. I thought the innards looked cool, but they're mostly lost in
the
photograph.]
We finally made it to Orange Line stop "Smithsonian." We climbed out of the metro (I used stairs to move faster) and saw the point of a giant stone obelisk thrust up above the metro entrance wall. It was the Washington Monument! I walked out onto the grassy expanse known as the Mall and looked the other way (east?). The dome! I saw the capitol dome![photo: The tallest masonry structure in the world (beating even the dome of St. Peter's in height), the Washington Monument here is viewed from the east.]
[photo: Looking east (I was correct), I saw the Capitol dome. My behavior at this point was at least a little inspired by Jimmy Stewart's character in Mr. Smith Goes to Washington.]
Our destination for the day was the National Air and Space Museum, of which I am a member. I never thought the 10% discount would come in handy, but it did today.[photo: My photograph wasn't very revealing, but I believe that the tube is the fuzzy black thing to the right of the center.]We saw so many things today that Heather's brain shut down. I thrived on every minute of it. I had been to the Museum twice before, but then I had no appreciation for what I saw. (I looked up at Voyager, hanging there after its non-stop, round the world flight in 1986, and said, "How did they go to the bathroom?" Today we were able to see the little tube that they peeed out of, and saw the yellow stain on the fuselage behind it.
I really, really enjoyed our trip to the National Air and Space Museum. In think I enjoyed it more than the average layman (or, politically correct, layperson) would have. I had a real appreciation for the historical signifigance of the things on display. I saw the indoor rocket garden, the Warbirds, the carrier planes, the Lunar Module (H-Series, LM#2), old rocket parts, bazillions of models, fly powered planes, et cetera ad infinitium.[photo: The launch stand of a Jupiter-C, or Juno 1, in the indoor rocket garden.]
[photo: An up-angle of the rockets showing, from left to right, Skylab (backup flight vehicle), V-1 (the first cruise missile), Viking, Jupiter-C, Vanguard, and Minuteman missile.]
[photo: The real Vanguard TV-3 sattelite, whose booster exploded under it on December 6, 1957. I think the footage of the failed launch has been edited into every space documentary ever made.]
[photo: A dummy astronaut descends the ladder on LM#2, slated to fly on a second unmanned test had the Apollo 5 mission not gone well. LM#2 is one of only two production LMs surviving on this planet; the other, LM#9, is at the Apollo/Saturn V center at Kennedy Space Center.]
[photo: An up-angle of the LM, revealing details of its unlikely design.]
[photo: The V-2, flanked (on the right) by a WAC Corporal and the Skylab backup.]
[photo: The WAC Corporal on display in the Museum.]
[photo: The original Wright flyer, which was restored in 1985. The fabric covering was replaced, but everything else is original.]
[photo: The Me-262 Schwalbe (Swallow), the first operational jet fighter. This plane, in the early jet aviation gallery, is displayed near the first Lockheed XP-80, Lulu-Belle.]
[photo: A mockup of the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project mission, on which a Soviet and American ship docked in space in 1975.]
[photo: Another view of LM#2.]
[photo: Oklahoman aviator Wiley Post wore this pressure suit on record-breaking flights in his Lockheed Vega Winnie Mae. It was the first pressure suit ever used in flight. It looks like it came from something by Jules Verne, doesn't it?]
[photo: The V-2 with the Skylab backup, which was a popular attraction even in the middle of February.]
[photo: Models of Mercury-Redstone, Mercury-Atlas, and Gemini-Titan II rockets, as well as part of the Saturn 1B. Since I build models, I'm naturally interested in models built by others.]
[photo: The Apollo-Skylab Command Module is from the last Skylab mission, Skylab 4. The cylinder in the lower left (the Skylab backup) is really vertical, as this CM is hanging from the ceiling.]
[photo: The D-558-2 Skyrocket, which was flown by Scott Crossfield. Another Skyrocket is on display at the Planes of Fame Museum in California, which I visited in 2003 and 2005.]
[photo: This is an embarassing picture, which I include only because of the Spirit of St. Louis (N-X-211) above us. Joe took this picture.]
[photo: This is a terrible shot of an amazing model of the second U.S.S. Enterprise aircraft carrier. There's a model of the first one in the EAA Museum in OshKosh, WI.]
[photo: This is a slightly better, but still not very good, picture of the same subject.]
[photo: The museum's Me-109 fighter.]
[photo: Another view of the WAC Corporal.]
[photo: The M2-F3, a lifting body aircraft flown by NASA at Edwards Air Force Base.]
[photo: Rear view of the M2-F3.]
[photo: A (relatively) small model of a WWI German bomber, with a wingspan of about a meter.]
[photo: Another view of the indoor rocket garden.]
[photo: A mannequin astronaut in the wardroom on the Skylab backup.]
There were a few planes that I didn't expect to see at all. The Milestones of Flight Gallery was closed. I had looked forward to seeing the cool planes they had there, like the Bell X-1 (#1, Glamorous Glennis, Tail#6062), the X-15 (#1, Tail#66670), and the Airicomet (1st American jet plane). The whole gallery was shut off for restoration. Phooey. There were, however, several windows in the temporary wall closing off the gallery, and I saw some very strnge sights. The X-1, the Airicomet, and the X-15 were wrapped in cloth and hanging from the ceiling. Strange.[photo: The original filming miniature of the U.S.S. Enterprise used in Gene Rodenberry's 1966-1969 television show Star Trek.]Since I had saved everyone lots of money with my museum membership, I was able to coerce Heather's mom to get me some things at the museum store. I got two model kits, an Apollo 11 mission patch, and a space blanket.
In the basement of the museum, there was the original filming model of the U.S.S. Enterprise on display. It was maybe 2 meters long and surprisingly undetailed. The stand that was used to film it on was also there. It was basically a blue piece of wood with a blue rod in it.
[photo: There was an enormous model of the Hindenburg outside of the museum store. I think this was the only reference to the age of the airships in the museum.]
When we left the Museum, we walked down the Mall to the Washington Monument. It was really big, but closed for repairs.[photo: The facade of the north side of the White House.]We then walked along the Reflecting Pool (right at the very edge) to the Lincoln Memorial. It was really fascinating seeing this huge monument, and how it lined up perfectly with the Reflecting Pool, Washington Monument, and the Capitol Dome...
Today was a very, very, very cool day.
Tuesday, February 20, 2001
I was supposed to go to school today, but that would have been pretty hard, seeing as school is in Boulder and we're here in Washington D.C. (although we're staying in Virginia, not West Virginia, as Heather thought inititally.We set off to Washington D.C. for our second time this trip. The first thing we did when we made it there was to make a visit to the White House. It was a pretty ornate building, but I felt kind of bad tramping around someone else's house.
[photo: Heather and I (at the base of the columns, waving) outside of the White House.]
We next walked along Pennsylvania Avenue, to see the National Archives. On the way, we stopped by the old Post Office, where I bought a space exploration stamp. We also got to see the J. Edgar Hoover FBI Building. I've seen it before in the X-Files, but not, as far as my memory serves, in real life.[photo: The facade of the FBI building. Notice the conspicuous surveillance van out front. I had been on a tour of the building, but I was three at the time, and I don't remember it at all.]
We finally made it to the National Archives, where we saw the two most important documents in our country's history: the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. It was very neat to see such signifigant pieces of paper.[photo: The rear Neo-Classical facade of the National Archives, in the Corinthian order.]
[photo: The sign beneath the statue reads, "What is past is prologue," an obscure quote from Shakespeare's The Tempest.]
The we went to the one coolest pentagonal office structure in the whole world: the Pentagon, of course! It took us forever to make it there. Joe made one wrongk turn several times, each one sending us all the way backto the heart of D.C. We had wanted to make it to a tour, which lasted 90 minutes. The last one started at 3:00. We tore around D.C., trying to find a way to get to the Pentagon. We raced and raced to get there then OOPS! Now we have to go all of the way back across the Potomac just to turn around.[photo: There was a fake press stage set up where the tours started. Here, I think, I was reciting the preamble to the Constitution.]We finally made it to the Pentagon successfully, and ran into the South Parking Lot entrance.
I made it in first and desperately queried the security guard. "Where are the tours?" I aksed.
"Ah'm sorry," the guard said, "this's the South Parking Lot. The tours are at the metro entrance."
Aaaaaaaaaauuuuuurrrgghhhh!!! my brain screamed. Nooooooo! We came all this way, and NO TOUR! Aaaaaaiieeee!
"But!" the security guard piped up after Heather, Jan, and David had made it inside, "I'll try to get you to the tour on time by taking you through the building."
Yessssss!
We scurried through the interior of the wild and wonderful Pentagon, in a place where visitors don't normally go. "Heather!" I exclaimed, "we're ionside the Pentagon! We're inside the Pentagon!"
The security guard took uspast scores of bright displays demonstrating the prowess of the U.S. Millitary. We finally made it to the tour place, where the security guard asked the tourguide if we we too late for the tour.
"We're full," was the reply.
Aaaaauuuugghhhh!
"These people have guest badges," our guard said, "can't they just follow along?"
"I suppose so," said the tourguide.
Yessssss!
"No, no, no," said another man with no hair on the side of his head, "that's not right. Sorry, you can't go on the tour. This guy is new."
Noooooooo!!
So, we ended up not going on the tour. We were able to stay inside the world's largest office building for a half hour, and in addition, I bought a shirt and two postcards. We also got to see the interior of this strange building, and even the 5-acre coutryard in the center. Our tour, although much shorter and without an in-depth visit of the place, was still very cool. I liked it because it was just us getting led around, not a huge group. We also had a quiet tourguide, not a very vociferous man with very little hair (intentionally).
[photo: The exterior of the Pentagon. It doesn't look nearly as imposing from this angle.]
After we sadly left the Pentagon, we drove back to the Mall and tried to eat lunch (very late lunch) on the Capitol steps. But, the front steps (that face the Mall) were all closed to help the grass grow back. The back steps were open, so we did get to go inside (finally!) The dome (or the rotunda under the dome) was very grand and impressive, and I could have stayed there for hours. But the building closed in three minutes.[photo: The Capitol dome lit by the afternoon sun.]So, I scurried around, trying to see all of the cool things I could in those few 180 seconds.
But the Capitol closed too soon, and we had to leave. We walked by the Supreme Court, but didn't go inside.
We went back to Joe and Raluca's house, and got on our fancy (schmancy) clothes. Then we went to Foxcroft, as I see it, a snooty rich girls' school. But, I couldn't have cared less at that time, because we got to see Sally Ride! The first woman astronaut gave a speech on observing the Earth from space. Sally Ride was probably the first astronaut whose name I got to know and recognize. Many, many years ago, in a very old incarnation of Legoland, we had a "parade," and a little Lego person represented Sally Ride.[photo: Sally Ride and Heather after Dr. Ride has signed her book.]But now, we were hundreds (over a thousand) miles away from my Legoland, and the little Lego person was replaced by the real person!
After the presentation, we got in a big line to have things autographed by Dr. Ride. We've had a children's book about her for as long as I can remember, and I had her sign the cover. Now I've had two astronauts sign books of mine!
It was really cool meeting Sally Ride! I've known about her for as long as I can remember! For Heather, it was like when I met John Glenn. She was higher than a kite!
I waited through the line twice; once to get my book, and the other time to get Heather's book signed for her (she was getting a "special" tour of the school). Heather waited through line three times, and Sally Ride remembered Heather's name by the end.
[photo: Sally Ride signs someone else's book.]
[photo: Another shot of Dr. Ride (I wanted to use up the roll).]
Heather was wired after we got back to Joe and Raluca's house. I seriously doubt that she fell asleep in any timely manner.[But I succeeded. I built both the X-1 and the LM over the next year.]We have to leave and go back home tomorrow. I took a while to figure out a way to transport my two plastic model kits, the X-1 and Lunar Module, both in 1/72 scale, home safely. I had a lot of trouble getting that done.
I'm really disappointed that our trip is nearly over. I'll be sure to return to the capital city sometime, maybe even live there. In fact, I'd like to work in the grandest building there, the Capitol. Yes, I want to be a Senator after I'm an astronaut. I'll be one of the best Senators that great city has ever seen. I'll be a real-life Jefferson Smith. That is one of the greatest goals for my life.
[Congress doesn't particularly interest me anymore. Oh, well. Aerospace still does.]
willy@wilhelm-aerospace.org