Intrepid Air and Space Museum, Manhattan, New York, March 2019

Intrepid Museum, WWII Aircraft Carrier turned Air and Space Museum, Manhattan, New York, Front of Ship

In March 2019, I met up with my buddy Alan Lovegreen to visit the Intrepid Museum, a WWII-era air craft carrier that had been repurposed as an air and space museum moored on the west side of Manhattan.

Alan and I had been hired the same year to work at City Tech in the English Department. While he was there, we worked together to inaugurate the City Tech Science Fiction Collection. Soon after that, he moved back to California for a new job. He was back in NYC to give a talk, so we picked a cool place to meet up.

Some exhibits overlap those at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum and its Steven P. Udvar-Hazy Center that I wrote about last week, such as the latter also having a Concorde airliner. Also notable is that the Space Shuttle Enterprise, which had been at the Udvar-Hazy Center, is now at the Intrepid Museum. Space Shuttle Discovery is now at the Udvar-Hazy Center. But, some similar looking aircraft are actually experimental or specialized versions, such as the Intrepid’s Lockheed A-12 compared with the Udvar-Hazy Center’s SR-71 Blackbird. There’s also some other unique displays involving LEGO: a 1:40 scale model of the Intrepid and a 50,000 brick mosaic image of the Space Shuttle Enterprise flying over New York City atop a Boeing 747.

We couldn’t have picked a better day to go. It was a cool and clear day, so we spent most of our time on the outside exhibits on the flight deck and hanger deck, but we also went under the water line to explore the submarine USS Growler tied up at the same pier (I’ll post pictures of the Growler tomorrow).

Flight Deck

Conning Tower

Bell 309 KingCobra

Bell UH-1A Iroquois “Huey”

McDonnell Douglas AV-8B Harrier II

McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II

Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-17

Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21

Northrop T-38 Talon

Grumman F-11 Blue Angels

Lockheed A-12

Grumman F-14D Super Tomcat

Grumman F-9 Cougar

Intrepid Museum, WWII Aircraft Carrier turned Air and Space Museum, Manhattan, New York, Gumman F-9 Cougar

Israel Aircraft Industries Kfir/F-21A

General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon

Intrepid Museum, WWII Aircraft Carrier turned Air and Space Museum, Manhattan, New York, F-16

Anti-Aircraft Batteries

Hanger Deck and Interior

North American FJ-3

Martin-Baker Mark V Ejection Seat

Grumman Avenger Ball Turret

Mercury Capsule

Ship Interior

Space Shuttle Enterprise and Exhibit Area

Intrepid Museum, WWII Aircraft Carrier turned Air and Space Museum, Manhattan, New York, Space Shuttle Enterprise

Intrepid Museum, WWII Aircraft Carrier turned Air and Space Museum, Manhattan, New York, Space Shuttle Enterprise's Star Trek Connections Exhibit

Intrepid Museum, WWII Aircraft Carrier turned Air and Space Museum, Manhattan, New York, Space Shuttle Wind Tunnel Model

Intrepid Museum, WWII Aircraft Carrier turned Air and Space Museum, Manhattan, New York, Space Shuttle Enterprise LEGO Mosaic

The LEGO mosaic that capped off the Enterprise exhibit area was a cooperative construction project let by Ed Diment, who created the scale model of the USS Intrepid (below). The mosaic above depicts the Space Shuttle Enterprise’s flight over NYC before its arrival at JFK and eventual move to the Intrepid. It was constructed out of 50,000 LEGO bricks by hundreds of children and adults between July 26-28, 2013.

LEGO Build of the USS Intrepid

Built by Ed Diment, this recreation of the USS Intrepid with LEGO bricks is a 1:40 scale model. It is 22 feet long, 4 feet wide, and over 4 1/2 feet tall. It weighs 550 pounds and contains 250,000 pieces!

Concorde Airliner on Pier

Carrier Aft

Intrepid Museum, WWII Aircraft Carrier turned Air and Space Museum, Manhattan, New York, USS Intrepid Aft

Photos of the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC, August 2008

Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC, Spirit of St. Louis N-X-211

Yesterday, I shared photos of Y’s and my trip to the Stephen Udvar-Hazy Center of the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum (NASM). Today, I have some photos of our stop at the NASM on the National Mall in Washington, DC.

I think of museums of technology, like the NASM, as a kind of technical communication medium. Of course, the work of the displays, diagrams, multimedia, and explanatory text are different kinds of technical communication created to facilitate learning, contextualization, and curiosity. But, the museum as a whole–the system of the museum and its totality, its holism–is a giant technical communication medium, too.

Most of the exhibits seemed similar to the last time that I had visited Washington in the late 1980s, but one notable change is the restoration of the shooting model of Star Trek’s USS-1701 Enterprise, which used to hang in the air but it now at eye-level and encased in plastic (last photos below).

After our visit, the NASM did a big renovation of the museum on the National Mall and the Udvar-Hazy Center (i.e., the replacement of Space Shuttle Enterprise with Discovery).

Above and below, you can see Charles Lindbergh’s Atlantic-crossing Spirit of St. Louis. More pictures of the historic air and spacecraft on display follow.

Spirit of St. Louis

Hughes H-1 Racer

Supermarine Spitfire HF. Mk. VIIc

North American P-51D Mustang

Messerschmitt Bf 109 G-6/R3

Messerschmitt Me 262 A-1a Schwalbe (Swallow)

Mitsubishi A6M5 Reisen (Zero Fighter) Model 52 ZEKE

North American X-15

Douglas D-558-2

Lockheed F-104 Starfighter

Grumman X-29 full-scale model

SpaceShipOne and Bell X-1

SpaceShipOne

Bell X-1

John Glenn’s Spacesuit

Space Capsule Interior

Apollo 11 Command Module

Apollo Command Module Console

Lunar Module LM-2

Apollo-Soyuz Rendezvous Recreation

V-2 Rocket, Skylab, and V-1 Rocket

Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC, Skylab Interior

Viking Mars Lander

SAGE Core Memory Unit 11, IBM AN/FSQ-7

Boeing X-45A Unmanned Vehicle

Star Trek Shooting Model of the USS-1701 Enterprise

Photos of the National Air and Space Museum’s Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, August 2008

National Air and Space Museum, Udvar-Hazy Center, Entrance

In August 2008, Y and I visited Washington, DC. One of our stops was the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center of the National Air and Space Museum, which holds some amazing aerospace artifacts including the B-29 Enola Gay, an SR-71 Blackbird, and Space Shuttle Enterprise. There are also many military aircraft, space related artifacts, robots (and rovers), computers, toys, and even a Hugo Award. Below, I’ve included photos grouped around an artifact or theme, but they are not arranged in a particular order–kind of like meandering around such a huge museum.

Enola Gay B-29

National Air and Space Museum, Udvar-Hazy Center, B-29 Enola Gay

Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird

Grumman F-14 Tomcat

Lockheed T-33A-5-LO Shooting Star

National Air and Space Museum, Udvar-Hazy Center, Lockheed T-33 Shooting Star

Bell XV-15 Tilt Rotor Research Aircraft

Lockheed Martin X-35B STOVL

NASA Space Shuttle Enterprise

National Air and Space Museum, Udvar-Hazy Center, NASA Space Shuttle Rocket Motor

Mars Pathfinder and Sojourner Rover

Rocketdyne F-1 Rocket Motor

National Air and Space Museum, Udvar-Hazy Center, Rocketdyne F-1 Rocket Engine

Various Rocket Motors and V-2 Turbopump

National Air and Space Museum, Udvar-Hazy Center, Rocket Motor

National Air and Space Museum, Udvar-Hazy Center, Rocket Motor Cutaway

National Air and Space Museum, Udvar-Hazy Center, V-2 Turbopump

Early Space Capsules

Apollo Spacesuit and Helmets and Gloves

National Air and Space Museum, Udvar-Hazy Center, Apollo Space Suit, Helmets, and Gloves

Robert Goddard Rocket Motor

Bell Rocket Belt

North American F-86 Sabre

Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15

Curtiss P-40 Warhawk

Vought F4U Corsair

Lockheed P-38 Lightning

Aérospatiale/BAC Concorde

Scaled Composites Model 311 Virgin Atlantic GlobalFlyer

LZ 129 Hindenburg Airship Artifacts

National Air and Space Museum, Udvar-Hazy Center, LZ 129 Hindenburg Airship Fabric

National Air and Space Museum, Udvar-Hazy Center, LZ 129 Hindenburg Airship Girder

Jim Bede BD-5 Kit Plane

National Air and Space Museum, Udvar-Hazy Center, BD-5

Rutan VariEze Kit Plane

National Air and Space Museum, Udvar-Hazy Center, Rutan VariEze

PDP-11/35

UNIVAC 1232

CDC 3800 Launch Computer Processor

IDEX II Work Station

NASA VR Headset and Payload Computer

Spacesuit Testing Android

Willy Ley’s 1956 Best Feature Writer Hugo Award

National Air and Space Museum, Udvar-Hazy Center, Willy Ley's 1956 Best Feature Writer Hugo

Space Toys

National Air and Space Museum, Udvar-Hazy Center, Mego Star Trek and Kenner Star Wars Action Figures

National Air and Space Museum, Udvar-Hazy Center, Space Patrol Rocket Port Playset with Control Tower

National Air and Space Museum, Udvar-Hazy Center, Captain Video Space Drome Playset and Space Cars

National Air and Space Museum, Udvar-Hazy Center, Toy Rockets

National Air and Space Museum, Udvar-Hazy Center, Toy Pistols

National Air and Space Museum, Udvar-Hazy Center, Buck Rogers and Flash Gordon Pistols

Leaving the Udvar-Hazy Center

National Air and Space Museum, Udvar-Hazy Center, Exiting the Center

Mars or Bust! Curiosity Lifts Off This Pale Blue Dot Bound for the Red Planet

The Mars Science Laboratory, aka Curiosity, successfully launched this morning at 10:02am EST. The MSL is a nuclear powered exploratory robot outfitted with loads of experiments and investigative tools. I am looking forward to Curiosity’s arrival on the red planet and its findings.

It’s too bad that I am not teaching Kim Stanley Robinson’s Mars trilogy right now, because there is so much going on right now that would be interesting to include in class discussions. Besides the Mars Science Laboratory, you can find out about all of NASA’s Mars missions here.

If you missed the launch live, you can watch it in the video above provided by NASA TV on Youtube.

Oct. 21, 2023 Update: Video link removed as it no longer exists.

Mars Science Laboratory, T Minus 19 Hours and Counting Until Launch

The launch clock on NASA’s and JPL’s Mars Science Laboratory (aka: Curiosity) website is progressing toward a launch tomorrow. Hopefully, the weather holds out and the launch is successfully on-time as planned at 10:02AM EST. You can watch the launch tomorrow here (there are other videos and information about Curiosity on this website, too).