Udvar - Hazy Field Trip

Nothing wakes you up in the morning quite like the sound of George screaming at Mrs. Harrington about the lack of personal choice on the field experiences (except coffee, which probably would have been more enjoyable). By the time the buses pulled away from the Middletown campus, everyone was wide awake, excited to see what lay ahead.

Upon entering the museum, we were first directed to the IMAX theater, where we were shown a movie “Destiny In Space” about space travel and the Space Program. The movie was  voiced by the great Leonard Nemoy,  and displayed on a six-story tall screen (that beats out the Alamo any day). The movie enabled everybody to see what it would be like to travel on Mars or Venus, but you didn’t even have to get up, wear an uncomfortable space suit, be concerned about breathing, or be paranoid about those pesky Cylons.

After the movie, we were led out into the museum, and we were able to explore the hangers freely or be taken on a tour. Only when we were in the main room with the planes did we actually realize the magnitude of these machines. Many of these machines both amazed and confused us, mostly because we didn’t know what they even were.

Look at that thing! Would you know what it was if somebody didn’t tell you? It’s frightening with its pointy spikes!

 On our tours, we were lead around the museum by special well-informed staff who took us on a trip through the history of human flight, from the Wright brothers’ first plane to the space shuttle, Enterprise.

One of the tour guides included Wayne Brown, who knew his stuff, and was able to explain many of the aircraft located around the hanger.

There were many airplanes, helicopters, and gliders showcased in the hanger, of all different sizes and colors. Strangely, very many of them were bright yellow.

Do you see how much yellow there is? How is that stealthy at all?

We were allowed to ride on various flight simulators, which were just loads of fun (hint of sarcasm here). We tilted slightly. Whee. And there was what appeared to be 3D roller coaster ride!  We were also given the option of riding a simulator that let you control a fighter jet and perform 360 barrel rolls that even went upside down to simulate an actual jet. The only option for food was McDonald’s, which would probably result in the same amount of sickness the simulator would cause and like most museum food, was overpriced.

The flight simulator and all of its shininess and light.

In the end, students had the chance to visit the museum gift shop, which contained many toys, t-shirts, and even freeze dried ice-cream (sort of the kind that astronauts eat while in space). Overall, the trip was a success, even though it was the third one that was scheduled.