DC - National Air and Space Museum

Our first real stop in DC was the National Air and Space Museum. The collection of artifacts they have is truly outstanding, making it a must-see for anyone with any interest in the subject.

John Glenn was the first American to orbit the Earth, and he did it in this Mercury Friendship 7 spacecraft. This is the actual spacecraft.

Two complete Skylab orbital workshops were built. One was launched into space, and the other is at the museum. You can go inside it, but here's a shot of the bottom of the vehicle.

Assorted rockets are on display.

This is a mockup of the Apollo command and service modules, docked with a Soyuz spacecraft.

Here are a couple of views of the original Wright Flyer from 1903. The canvas was replaced in 1985, but this is the actual airplane that made the first powered flight.

I don't remember which plane this is, but I thought it was an interesting view from a perspective that isn't seen every day.

This is the Spirit of St. Louis, in which Charles Lindbergh made his solo transatlantic flight.

And finally, here's a view into a rocket exhaust.

I find it absolutely amazing that you can see all this history up close. On our last day we went to the Udvar-Hazy Center (an extension of the Air and Space Museum outside the city) where they have more historic flying machines, and that will be a separate post.