Smithsonian.com

Shuttle astronauts used this trainer to practice the difficult task of replacing the Power Control Unit, the electrical nerve center of the Hubble Space Telescope, on a 2002 servicing mission. Photo by Eric Long

This week, the National Air and Space Museum unveiled the first phase of its new permanent exhibit about human spaceflight, “Moving Beyond Earth.”

The gallery focuses on the shuttle and space-station era and includes items that were just recently doing their jobs in space, like the Hubble’s Corrective Optics Space Telescope Axial Replacement, or COSTAR. That piece, which was a corrective optics package that worked in conjunction with the Hubble telescope’s mirror, came back to Earth this past May during the last servicing mission.

The artifacts in this space have a very different feel than the traditional, historical objects in other galleries. In fact, NASA astronaut John Grunsfeld, who was on hand for the opening celebrations, noted the absurdity of even calling them artifacts. Just a few years ago, Grunsfeld was using the HST Power Control Unit Trainer, another new artifact now on display, to practice for his missions—he went on three.

“We were very short on artifacts because all the artifacts from the shuttle era were still in use,” said Valerie Neal, curator of the new hall. Neal refers to the current gallery as a “footprint for the fully built-out space” that will be completed in the next two years.

The star at the museum these day is another Hubble instrument, the piano-sized Wide Field and Planetary Camera 2, or WFPC2, which also on view in an adjacent hall.The WFPC2 was installed on the Hubble in 1993 to correct the telescopes blurred images. Averting near disaster for the program.

When Hubble first went up, it was called an American disgrace, says Edward Weiler, who was the chief scientist on the Hubble Telescope for nearly 20 years. The WFPC2, he says, “turned Hubble into a great American comeback story.”  The instruments might be the objects on display in the museum, but Grunsfeld says there’s more to the story than just the artifacts. “It wasn’t the instruments that saved Hubble,” he says. “People saved Hubble.

The WFPC2 was the first instrument to demonstrate the unique capability of astronomical imaging from space. Photo by Eric Long.

History buffs will no doubt head for the star artifacts, but younger visitors are likely to head for the screens. The hall is chock-full of games and play stations. Visitors can sit at a control panel and make decisions on NASA missions as if they were seated in a real life Mission Control. Another interactive demonstrates decision making for all sorts of things like planning new components to the space station, budgeting health fitness, food stores and living condition staples. And still another invites visitors to discover a compatible career for them in space, no matter their interest, by answering questions such as their favorite subject in school and what their preferred super hero power would be. (Two of my top jobs were librarian and educator.)

The museum’s director Jack Dailey says this gallery has more interactives than any other place in the museum. “We have long had a desire to add more interactives to stimulate and inspire the younger generation,” he said. “The first thing a young person looks for is the screen. They find it and immediately go to it and start touching it.”

A 1:5 scale model of the support systems module of the Hubble Space Telescope. Image courtesy of the Air and Space Museum.

Monday, November 16: Free Admission to Wild Ocean 3D for Recycled Cell Phones

Do the environment a favor and part with your old cell phone in an ecologically friendly way—and catch a movie in return. From now until November 22, visitors who present a cell phone for recycling at the theater’s box offices will receive one free admission to Wild Ocean 3D—a new IMAX experience that explores the effects of global warming on ecosystems off the coast KwaZulu-Natal Coast in South Africa. Natural History Museum.

Tuesday, November 17: The Significance of the Hubble Space Telescope

One of the Hubble Space Telescope’s cameras, WFPC2, is now in the Smithsonian’s collections and on display. To celebrate this recent acquisition, come on out to the Air and Space Museum for an evening of astrological activities. At 5:30 PM, get into the stargazing groove at the new Public Observatory. At 7:30 PM, meet astronaut John Grunsfeld, Ph.D. who participated in five NASA space missions. At 8:00 PM, Grunsfeld will discuss the significance of Hubble. A book signing will follow. This event is free, but tickets are required. To reserve your spot, go online and fill out the Ticket Request Form, or call 202-633-2398. Air and Space Museum, 5:30 PM

Wednesday, November 18: National Geography Awareness Week

Celebrate National Geography Week at the Air and Space Museum! Think your knowledge of outer space technology is up to snuff? Come participate in the Geography from Space contest and enjoy programs and demonstrations that the whole family can enjoy. Free. Air and Space Museum, 10:00 AM-3:00 PM

Thursday, November 19: When Art Worked

FDR’s New Deal Programs were a big deal for out of work artists. Under the employ of the US government, filmmakers, painters, photographers, landscape designers, architects and composers plied their craft and created stunning works of art that reflected America during the Great Depression. This evening, historian Roger Kennedy is on deck to discuss this landmark mobilization of artists. A book signing will follow the lecture. Free. American Art Museum, 7:00 PM

Friday, November 20: Reel Portraits: Films by John Ford

In conjunction with the exhibition Faces of the Frontier, the National Portrait Gallery is showing several films by legendary director John Ford. Tonight, it is Fort Apache starring John Wayne, Henry Fonda and Shirley Temple (sans tap shoes and Mr. Bojangles) in a thinly veiled account of Custer’s last stand. A conversation with Frank H. Goodyear III, curator of the exhibition Faces of the Frontier, follows the screening. Free. Portrait Gallery, 7:00 PM.

For more information on events and exhibitions at the Smithsonian museums, check our companion website, goSmithsonian.com, the official visitor’s guide to the Smithsonian.

Portrait of an American Indian (ca. 1900). Artist unknown. Image courtesy of the American Art Museum.

Friday, November 13: Vice Adm. Donald D. Engen Flight Jacket Night: A Conversation with Alan Bean

On November 19th, 1969, Alan Bean became the fourth man to set foot on the Moon during the second lunar landing as the Apollo 12 lunar module pilot. After a distinguished career at NASA, he retired in 1981 to pursue painting and public speaking—and both of those talents will be on display this evening at the Air and Space Museum. Alan Bean will discuss his life and career and be available for book signings. And don’t forget to explore the galleries of his otherworldly artwork in the companion exhibit, Alan Bean: Painting Apollo, First Artist on Another World. Air and Space Museum, 8:00 PM.

Saturday, November 14: American Indian Heritage Month Two-Day Family Program: From Deer to Dance

Come celebrate American Indian Heritage Month with a two-day festival chock-full of family fun at the American Indian Museum. From 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM, enjoy Native culture, music, dance and art; and learn how Native Americans turn the hides or skins of animals into the beautiful dresses or regalia worn during traditional ceremonies and powwows. At 12:00 noon, swing by to see—and participate in—a social dance led by the White Oak Singers. Free. This event repeats on November 15. American Indian Museum, 10:00 AM-3:00 PM.

Sunday, November 15: Sesame Street’s 40th Birthday Party

That’s right—Sesame Street hits the big 4-0 this year and the Discovery Theater is throwing a birthday party with Elmo, Abby Cadabby, Zoe, and Prairie Dawn, along with Muppeteers Kevin Clash, Leslie Carrara-Rudolph, and Fran Brill, join Sesame Street executive producer Carol-Lynn Parente and Sonia Manzano (‘Maria’) to talk about the show’s 40 years of fun and learning. They share clips from the first season in 1969 and scenes from new episodes. Also, don’t forget to swing by the American History Museum where you can see Kermit the Frog, who was a regular on the show and check out Abby Callard’s piece on Sesame Street around the world. Tickets are required for this event. Prices and additional information are available through Smithsonian Associates. Discovery Theater, 1:30 PM.

Commemorate Veteran's day with a tour around the National Mall and the Smithsonian museums. Postage stamp, "Hometowns honor their returning veterans," courtesy of the National Postal Museum.

Monday, November 9: Curator’s Talk with Cesáreo Moreno

The Anacostia Museum is pleased to host the newly-opened exhibition The African Presence in México, which looks at the history, culture and Art of Afr0-Mexicans from the colonial era up to the present day. The show’s curator, Cesáreo Moreno, will be on deck today to discuss topics such as the history and cultural renditions of Africans in Mexico, Spanish history and the slave trade. This event is free but reservations are required. Please call 202-633-4844 to reserve your spot today. Anacostia Community Museum, 2:00 PM

Tuesday, November 10: Home-School Open House

The National Portrait Gallery education department hosts a homeschool open house with mini-tours of special exhibitions, story time for children, hands-on art activities, and an interactive self-guide for groups. Reservations are required. Attendees please e-mail the number of children with ages, number of adults, mailing address and phone number to: provostg@si.edu. National Portrait Gallery, 11:30 am – 1:30 pm

Wednesday, November 11: Robert M. Poole’s On Hallowed Ground

Smithsonian magazine contributing editor Robert M. Poole will be available to sign copies of his book On Hallowed Ground: The Story of Arlington National Cemetery, a portion of which was adapted into a magazine article in the November 2009 issue. American History Museum, 12 – 2pm

Thursday, November 12: Meet Our Museum: Confederate Currency—Whatever It Took to Keep It Circulating

There are those out there who will assert even today that during the s0-called “War of Northern Aggression,” the South was not defeated, it was simply overwhelmed. Although the preservation of the Union would  indicate otherwise, the South had its moments of sheer ingenuity—an example of which being how they kept money in circulation during the Civil War, and curator Dick Doty of the American History Museum’s Numismatics collection will talk about the methods they used. A question and answer session will follow. Free. American History Museum, 12:00-12:30 PM

Friday, November 13: Vice Adm. Donald D. Engen Flight Jacket Night: A Conversation with Alan Bean

On November 19th, 1969, Alan Bean became the fourth man to set foot on the Moon during the second lunar landing as the Apollo 12 lunar module pilot. After a distinguished career at NASA, he retired in 1981 to pursue painting and public speaking—and both of those talents will be on display this evening at the Air and Space Museum. Alan Bean will discuss his life and career and be available for book signings. And don’t forget to explore the galleries of his otherworldly artwork in the companion exhibit, Alan Bean: Painting Apollo, First Artist on Another World. Air and Space Museum, 8:00 PM.

Celebrate Halloween at the Smithsonian! Insignia, VMF-531 Grey Ghosts, United States Marine Corps. Image courtesy of the National Air and Space Museum

Sorry kids, no special events happening at the Smithsonian today. But be sure to check out this site for a listing of regularly-scheduled happenings around the Institution.

Tuesday, October 27: American Art Museum Architectural Tour

They don’t build ‘em like they used to—which is why touring buildings like the former Patent Office Building (home to the Smithsonian American Art Museum and the National Portrait Gallery) can be so charming. But it’s oh so easy to pay more attention to the art on the walls than the building itself. That said, come gain an appreciation for the building that houses these world-class works of art in this architectural tour led by Deputy director emeritus Charles Robertson. Free. American Art Museum, 5:45

Wednesday, October 28: Ask an Expert: The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter

In this lunchtime lecture, come listen to Tom Watters discuss the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter —a spacecraft launched earlier this year to scout out potential places on the Moon’s surface that would best accommodate an outpost and extend mankind’s presence in the solar system—and the early results of this mission. Free. Air and Space Museum, 12:00 PM

Thursday, October 29: The “Not So Spooky” Halloween Show

Halloween is so frequently celebrated with sights and sounds meant to send chills down your spine—so much so that the youngest members of your family may feel a little left out of the fun for fear of being, well, scared. So, for the littlest tricksters, here’s a treat from the Discovery Theater. Come out in your costumes and listen to two stories: the first, “Why the Bat Flies at Night” is a creation story from Africa that will be told with puppets, and the second, “The Ghosties’ Happy Day,” invites the audience to help tell the tale. Ideal for persons aged 2-7. Tickets are required. Rates are: $6 general admission, $5 for children, $4 for members, $4 for children of members, and children under the age of 2 are free, but please reserve a (free) ticket for those persons. S. Dillon Ripley Center, 10:15 AM. This event repeats on Saturday, October 31 at noon and will include a face painting activity.

Friday, October 30: A Salute to Judy Garland and Friends

It’s unfortunate to think that Judy Garland may now be best remembered for the tragic circumstances that filled her life and one of the ultimate camp icons as opposed to being remembered as a darn good entertainer. (Her crowning achievement may very well have been her 1961 performances at Carnegie Hall, memorialized on vinyl—and later CD—and acknowledged by the Library of Congress as an aesthetically and culturally significant recording.) Forty years after her death (and 70 years after she appeared in The Wizard of Oz), pianist Richard Glazier is presenting a tribute show featuring a host of songs that Garland made world-famous: “The Boy Next Door,” “The Trolley Song,” “The Man That Got Away” and, of course, “Over the Rainbow.” Tickets are required. Rates are: $25 general admission, $20 for Resident Associate members. Tickets may be purchased online. American History Museum, 7:30 PM

For more information on events and exhibitions at the Smithsonian museums, check our companion website, goSmithsonian.com, the official visitor’s guide to the Smithsonian.

Amelia Earhart's Lockheed Vega. Image courtesy of the National Air and Space Museum.

Amelia Earhart’s mystique has captured imaginations for generations and the story of this groundbreaking aviator who disappeared during a 1937 flight around the world still holds some serious pop culture clout. Her life has been memorialized in literature and song—with offerings from everyone from balladeer cowboys and Joni Mitchell to the rock band Bachman Turner Overdrive—but only rarely has it graced the silver screen. (And this includes 1943’s Flight for Freedom with Rosalind Russell, a highly fictionalized treatment of Earhart’s life.) That said, 2009 has been a red-letter year for big screen interpretations of the famed aviatrix carried out by not one but two Academy Award winning actresses. As some of you may recall, the summer kicked off with Night at the Museum 2: Battle for the Smithsonian and featured a bubbly Amy Adams filling the flight boots. Starting today, audiences get to see Hilary Swank climb into the cockpit and take a spin in a more serious look at Earhart and her accomplishments in the film Amelia.

As is the case with most biopics that grace the movie theaters, there are going to be those eagle-eyed viewers who relish in nitpicking over what the movie got right and what details were fudged during the creative process. I personally have high hopes for the film (it was produced by Fox Searchlight, which provided gems like Sideways, Little Miss Sunshine and Juno), but just the same, it never hurts to bone up on your Earhart history before heading to the box office—and the Smithsonian is a pretty darn good place to get a crash course (please pardon my phrasing). On view at the Air and Space Museum is the candy apple red Lockheed Vega 5B, in which Earhart became the first woman to fly across the Atlantic Ocean and later across the United States. Also on display alongside the airplane is Earhart’s oh-so-stylish brown leather coat, flying goggles, radio and a bust. (A display case of smaller artifacts—like pins and medals—is on display at the Udvar Hazy Center.) For those of you who can’t make it out to the museums and would like a quick introduction to Earhart, check out Smithsonian magazine’s piece on her flight jacket. And for younger readers, I strongly recommend Amelia Earhart by Susan Reyburn, which is a part of the larger Women Who Dare series of books from the Library of Congress Publishing Office in conjunction with Pomegranate Publications.

Below, a video from Earhart’s last flight:

Patty Wagstaff flew this plane when she became the first woman to win the U.S. National Aerobatic Championship in 1991. She won again 1992. Image courtesy of the National Air and Space Museum.

Patty Wagstaff is a acrobatic air show performer and was the first woman to win the title of US National Aerobatic Champion. For the past eight years, she has helped train pilots in the Kenya Wildlife Service. Wagstaff joins CNN correspondent Miles O’Brien, who documented her in Africa, tonight for a lecture at the Air and Space Museum. Wagstaff talked to us about flying, the dangers of wildlife flying and how she feels about being in the museum.

How did you get started flying?
Well, my dad was a pilot, so I grew up around aviation. He flew for Japan Airlines. My mom would take me to the airport when I was really little, and I would watch him take off. I’ve been around it my whole life. I always loved airplanes. It was neat because my mom encouraged me to love airplanes. I remember her taking me out to the San Francisco International airport when the first jets took off. They must have been 707s. She had me watch them. I didn’t learn to fly until I moved to Alaska. I was in my late 20s. It had always been my dream to learn. I took lessons, and I just kept going.

You’re primarily an acrobatic pilot, what was the first trick you learned?
I think the first thing we did was a loop and then a roll. Most people learn loops, rolls and spins as the basics.

How do you do those moves?
A loop is a vertical circle. So, you pull the airplane up and you go straight up and then over the top and then make a big circle in the sky. A roll is where you roll the airplane, but it’s on a horizontal plane. You do a little 360, but it’s horizontal. The plane goes over on its back, so you’re inverted, and then it comes back around. They aren’t hard to learn, but they’re hard to do really well.

How did you get involved with the Kenya Wildlife Services?
I was invited to come over and participate in the training program that a man named Dr. Bill Clark had started. It was really his idea. The accident rate was very high at the time, and so they really needed a way to cut back on the accidents. His feeling was that if the pilots learned precision in their flying that their accident rate would drop. And it has. We’ve been doing this since 2001 and just having recurrency training for the pilots has made a big difference.

What exactly is recurrency training?
Recurrency training is just ongoing training. You always need to get training for it. It’s easy to develop bad habits and it’s easy to get sloppy in your flying when you don’t have somebody looking over your shoulder. Even the best pilots, or the most experienced pilots, still get training once in a while. Airline pilots have check flights every six months to keep them in top shape.

What makes the flying that they do in Kenya so difficult?
It’s one of those types of flying that is higher risk by nature. They’re flying alone most of the time in wilderness areas. They don’t have anybody looking over their shoulder, so they really have to maintain that kind of precision on their own. The conditions are rough. There are things that are there that we don’t have here. Things like elephants on the runway, zebras on the runway. Animals run out when you’re not expecting them, things like that. There are more hazards in that wilderness type flying than there are in just going from A to B. Just about everything you can throw at a pilot gets thrown at them. They’re dealing with some pretty high-risk situations.

One of your planes is on display at the Air and Space Museum. How does that feel?
It’s amazing to me. I’ll never really process it I think. Actually it’s pretty cool. The plane just came out of the Pioneers [of Flight] gallery, and it’s hanging in the hallway. I went and saw it last week when I was in town. It’s hanging upside-down. It looks like it’s flying. It’s a really great spot.

Curator Dom Pisano's favorite poster of the more than 1,300 in the museum's collection features a TWA aircraft typical of the post World War II era. Image courtesy of the museum.

Of the more than 1,300 posters in the National Air and Space Museum’s collection, Dom Pisano, curator in the Aeronautics Division, prefers one from 1952: a brightly colored poster depicting TWA’s Super Lockheed Constellation (at left). “It shows the typical airliner of the post war era. Later on, airlines generally get away from using aircraft in their posters. Basically what you see are portrayals of the destination. They’re selling the romance of the destination rather than the aircraft.”

Pisano, six interns and two volunteers recently digitized 713 of the iconic posters and made them available on the museum’s Web site as part of a Smithsonian-wide initiative to make the institution’s vast unseen collections more accessible to the public. The posters had slowly accumulated over the years, but eventually, their care fell into the hands of Pisano, who, relishes the job for all of the discovery it brings.

The posters range from recruiting advertisements for the United States Air Force to a Russian poster from 1875 advertising attractions at the Russia Zoological Gardens in St. Petersburg,  that depicts a gas balloon. Intern Amelia Kile wrote about the process on the museum’s AirSpace blog over the weekend: “The collection provides a wealth of information related to balloons, early flight, military and commercial aviation, and space flight, documenting aerospace history and technology while providing a window into popular culture.”

The ultimate goal is to make the entire collection available online, but the second batch of images will likely take longer, Pisano says. The copyright information for rest of the 1,300 posters has to be identified. That, Pisano says, is the next step.

Look through the collection and let us know which one is  your favorite in the comments area below.