Jacques van Oene
November 23rd 04, 02:46 PM
Press Release
November 17, 2004
Media Only: Peter Golkin 202-633-2374
Walton Ferrell 202-633-2473
Public information: 202-633-1000
Website: http://www.nasm.si.edu/events/pressroom/
Public Invited to First Anniversary Celebration for National Air and Space
Museum's Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center
The National Air and Space Museum is throwing a special first anniversary
celebration Saturday, Dec. 11, at its Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center to thank
visitors who have made the Chantilly, Va. facility the state's most popular
museum site.
The Udvar-Hazy (pronounced OOD-var HAH-zee) Center, a companion to the
Smithsonian museum's flagship building on the National Mall in Washington,
has welcomed more than 1.6 million people since it opened on Dec.15, 2003.
A highlight of the Dec. 11 event will be the rare joint appearance by the
two men who commanded space shuttle Enterprise--veteran astronauts Fred
Haise (Apollo 13) and Joe Engle (shuttle missions STS-2 and STS-51I).
Enterprise, used for approach and landing tests in the 1970s, is the
centerpiece of the James S. McDonnell Space Hangar, which has been
accessible to Udvar-Hazy Center visitors since Nov. 1. Haise and Engle will
discuss their storied careers and greet the public throughout the day.
The museum will also offer free tickets to the newest edge-of-your-seat IMAX
flight film, "Fighter Pilot: Operation Red Flag," whose opening at the
Udvar-Hazy Center coincides with the celebration. A free showing will be
held at 10:30 a.m. A limited number of free passes to other showings will be
distributed during the day.
Anniversary festivities also will include holiday performances by Northern
Virginia high school bands, behind-the-scenes presentations by restoration
specialists, prize giveaways, a space-themed parade for visitors in costume,
"storytimes" for children, meet-the-curator opportunities, book signings,
holiday shopping in the museum store and free birthday cake.
"So much goes into creating an experience like the Udvar-Hazy Center, but
only the public can tell us whether we've done it right," museum director
Gen. J.R. "Jack" Dailey said. "This is our way of showing how much we
appreciate the remarkable support we've received."
In time for the celebration, an additional 21 aircraft will be added to the
original 82 displayed in the Udvar-Hazy Center's huge aviation hanger. The
new arrivals include the Westland Lysander IIIA airplane, used for ferrying
secret agents in and out of enemy territory during World War II; and the
Bell H-13J, which, in 1957, became the first helicopter to carry a U.S.
president, Dwight D. Eisenhower.
Also new are a dozen interactive kiosks that allow visitors to explore in
detail, in seamless 360-degree views, the exteriors and interiors of the
center's aircraft and large space artifacts.
The facility is the subject of a new lavishly illustrated book, "Building
America's Hangar: The Design and Construction of the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy
Center," by Lin Ezell, who will be signing copies on Dec. 11.
The McDonnell Space Hangar features 112 large space artifacts in addition to
the recently refurbished Enterprise, including a floor-to-ceiling Redstone
missile, the Gemini VI spacecraft and a giant ring segment from a Saturn V
rocket that was never built. An array of cruise missiles, satellites and
space telescopes are suspended from the hangar's trusses.
The aviation hangar is home to some of the museum's largest aircraft,
including a Concorde, the "Dash 80" original prototype for the Boeing 707,
the B-29 Superfortress Enola Gay, a Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird and the Boeing
307 Stratoliner--all displayed at floor-level. Lighter aircraft are
suspended from above and can be viewed up close from rising "skywalks."
Thousands of smaller artifacts, including models, cameras, engines, armament
and popular culture collections, are exhibited throughout the Udvar-Hazy
Center.
The displays in the aviation and space hangars will continue to grow in
coming years, with the center eventually housing some 200 aircraft and 200
large space artifacts.
A second phase of construction, including a restoration hangar, archives and
storage facility, is planned and will move forward based on fund-raising.
The first phase of Udvar-Hazy Center construction was funded by private
sources only.
Although admission to the center is free, there is a $12 fee for parking.
The museum operates a shuttle bus between its building on the National Mall
and the Udvar-Hazy Center. A roundtrip ticket for the shuttle bus is $7 (the
price will increase to $12 as of Jan. 1, 2005), with discounts available for
groups.
The public's tremendous interest in the Udvar-Hazy Center led to some delays
for visitors arriving during the first days of operation. Long waits have
since been alleviated in part because of additional parking and an expanded
information system that includes additional signs on area roadways and a new
low-watt AM radio station.
Comfortable rubber-soled shoes are recommended for walking in the Udvar-Hazy
Center.
The National Air and Space Museum building on the National Mall in
Washington, D.C., is located at Sixth Street and Independence Avenue S.W.
The Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center is located in Chantilly off Route 28 near
Washington Dulles International Airport. Both facilities are open daily from
10 a.m. until 5:30 p.m. (closed Dec. 25) and admission is free.
--
---------------------------
Jacques :-)
www.spacepatches.info
November 17, 2004
Media Only: Peter Golkin 202-633-2374
Walton Ferrell 202-633-2473
Public information: 202-633-1000
Website: http://www.nasm.si.edu/events/pressroom/
Public Invited to First Anniversary Celebration for National Air and Space
Museum's Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center
The National Air and Space Museum is throwing a special first anniversary
celebration Saturday, Dec. 11, at its Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center to thank
visitors who have made the Chantilly, Va. facility the state's most popular
museum site.
The Udvar-Hazy (pronounced OOD-var HAH-zee) Center, a companion to the
Smithsonian museum's flagship building on the National Mall in Washington,
has welcomed more than 1.6 million people since it opened on Dec.15, 2003.
A highlight of the Dec. 11 event will be the rare joint appearance by the
two men who commanded space shuttle Enterprise--veteran astronauts Fred
Haise (Apollo 13) and Joe Engle (shuttle missions STS-2 and STS-51I).
Enterprise, used for approach and landing tests in the 1970s, is the
centerpiece of the James S. McDonnell Space Hangar, which has been
accessible to Udvar-Hazy Center visitors since Nov. 1. Haise and Engle will
discuss their storied careers and greet the public throughout the day.
The museum will also offer free tickets to the newest edge-of-your-seat IMAX
flight film, "Fighter Pilot: Operation Red Flag," whose opening at the
Udvar-Hazy Center coincides with the celebration. A free showing will be
held at 10:30 a.m. A limited number of free passes to other showings will be
distributed during the day.
Anniversary festivities also will include holiday performances by Northern
Virginia high school bands, behind-the-scenes presentations by restoration
specialists, prize giveaways, a space-themed parade for visitors in costume,
"storytimes" for children, meet-the-curator opportunities, book signings,
holiday shopping in the museum store and free birthday cake.
"So much goes into creating an experience like the Udvar-Hazy Center, but
only the public can tell us whether we've done it right," museum director
Gen. J.R. "Jack" Dailey said. "This is our way of showing how much we
appreciate the remarkable support we've received."
In time for the celebration, an additional 21 aircraft will be added to the
original 82 displayed in the Udvar-Hazy Center's huge aviation hanger. The
new arrivals include the Westland Lysander IIIA airplane, used for ferrying
secret agents in and out of enemy territory during World War II; and the
Bell H-13J, which, in 1957, became the first helicopter to carry a U.S.
president, Dwight D. Eisenhower.
Also new are a dozen interactive kiosks that allow visitors to explore in
detail, in seamless 360-degree views, the exteriors and interiors of the
center's aircraft and large space artifacts.
The facility is the subject of a new lavishly illustrated book, "Building
America's Hangar: The Design and Construction of the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy
Center," by Lin Ezell, who will be signing copies on Dec. 11.
The McDonnell Space Hangar features 112 large space artifacts in addition to
the recently refurbished Enterprise, including a floor-to-ceiling Redstone
missile, the Gemini VI spacecraft and a giant ring segment from a Saturn V
rocket that was never built. An array of cruise missiles, satellites and
space telescopes are suspended from the hangar's trusses.
The aviation hangar is home to some of the museum's largest aircraft,
including a Concorde, the "Dash 80" original prototype for the Boeing 707,
the B-29 Superfortress Enola Gay, a Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird and the Boeing
307 Stratoliner--all displayed at floor-level. Lighter aircraft are
suspended from above and can be viewed up close from rising "skywalks."
Thousands of smaller artifacts, including models, cameras, engines, armament
and popular culture collections, are exhibited throughout the Udvar-Hazy
Center.
The displays in the aviation and space hangars will continue to grow in
coming years, with the center eventually housing some 200 aircraft and 200
large space artifacts.
A second phase of construction, including a restoration hangar, archives and
storage facility, is planned and will move forward based on fund-raising.
The first phase of Udvar-Hazy Center construction was funded by private
sources only.
Although admission to the center is free, there is a $12 fee for parking.
The museum operates a shuttle bus between its building on the National Mall
and the Udvar-Hazy Center. A roundtrip ticket for the shuttle bus is $7 (the
price will increase to $12 as of Jan. 1, 2005), with discounts available for
groups.
The public's tremendous interest in the Udvar-Hazy Center led to some delays
for visitors arriving during the first days of operation. Long waits have
since been alleviated in part because of additional parking and an expanded
information system that includes additional signs on area roadways and a new
low-watt AM radio station.
Comfortable rubber-soled shoes are recommended for walking in the Udvar-Hazy
Center.
The National Air and Space Museum building on the National Mall in
Washington, D.C., is located at Sixth Street and Independence Avenue S.W.
The Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center is located in Chantilly off Route 28 near
Washington Dulles International Airport. Both facilities are open daily from
10 a.m. until 5:30 p.m. (closed Dec. 25) and admission is free.
--
---------------------------
Jacques :-)
www.spacepatches.info