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December 2017
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Special holiday hours at the Museum in Washington, DC: From Tuesday, December 26 through Saturday, December 30 the Museum will be open until 7:30 pm. Udvar-Hazy Center hours remain the same, with a closing time of 5:30 pm.
MUSEUM NEWS

Road Trip! Apollo 11 Command Module Goes Across Country
On September 28, the Apollo 11 Command Module Columbia departed the Udvar-Hazy Center, leaving the Smithsonian for the first time in 46 years for the traveling exhibition Destination Moon: The Apollo 11 Mission. This national treasure had undergone preservation and conservation by Museum experts in the months prior to its departure. The exhibition’s two-year national tour will celebrate the approaching 50th anniversary of Apollo 11 and bring the command module and more than 20 one-of-a-kind artifacts to four of the top museums in the country. Columbia will return to a place of honor in the new exhibition Destination Moon, scheduled to open in 2021 as part of the downtown Museum's transformation announced in last month's issue. Read more and see the tour schedule. The photo above shows the exhibition at Space Center Houston.
DO YOU KNOW?

Slow But Deadly
On June 4, 1942, at the Battle of Midway,this airplane destroyed four Japanese carriers, helping to alter the course of World War II. Can you name this plane? It is on display in Sea-Air Operations at the Museum in Washington, DC. Answer
GIVE THE GIFT OF MEMBERSHIP

A Great Idea for Aviation and Space Fans
This holiday season give the gift of membership in the National Air and Space Society! A year-long membership is a wonderful gift for enthusiasts of aviation and space history. The gift recipient will receive, among other benefits, the National Air and Space Society 2018 wall calendar, featuring artists' depictions of the Museum’s exhibitions as they will look after the Museum's transformation.

Visit our website for more information and become a member today!
IN THE SHOP

As the Museum begins work on transforming the Museum in Washington, DC, experts in preservation, conservation, and restoration are preparing the artifacts that will fill the new exhibition spaces. In this new What's Up column, we will feature projects related to that endeavor.

Not Your Standard Restoration Project
Perhaps the most time-consuming among the artifacts being prepared for new exhibitions is the restoration work currently being carried out on the Lincoln-Standard H.S. biplane. Museum specialists Chris Redderson and Tony Carp, seen above preparing to remove fabric from part of the fuselage, have been tasked with turning back the clock and presenting the Lincoln-Standard as it would have looked early in its service life so it can be displayed in the updated America by Air gallery. 

The tattered fabric, period-incorrect components, and any underlying structural issues have to be remedied. To date, work has been progressing rapidly on the rudder and vertical fin; damaged or rotted wood has been replaced; corroded metal components have been treated and repainted; and the whole structure has received fresh coats of protective varnish. The team has also been manufacturing jigs and refining their methods for fabricating bent-wood components such as wing tip bows and rib cap strips. This careful preparatory work has allowed Chris and Tony to begin manufacturing replacement parts with near production-line efficiency. While the team is pleased with their current rate of progress, they are anything but complacent. There is still much work to do before this aircraft can take its place as a centerpiece of the renovated America by Air exhibition.
THIS MONTH IN HISTORY

The Little Satellite That Couldn't
December 6, 1957. Sixty years ago, two months after the Soviet Union launched the first artificial satellite, Sputnik*, the United States responded with a Navy satellite, Vanguard. Unfortunately, the rocket carrying the Vanguard TV–3 satellite lifted only a meter off the ground and exploded, sending TV–3 sputtering across the sands of Cape Canaveral, Florida. Newspapers around the world nicknamed the little satellite “Kaputnik,” “Flopnik,” and “Dudnik.” 

But the U.S. eventually won the space race by becoming the first to land humans on the Moon, and in fact, the last Moon landing, Apollo 17, also took place in December -- 45 years ago on December 11, 1972.

*See Air & Space magazine story about Sputnik below, under "From Our Partners."
ON VIDEO

Start With a Curtiss JN-4D Trainer, Add One Pontoon...
In this Ask an Expert talk, aeronautics curator Laurence Burke discusses the Curtiss N-9H. Primarily trainers, planes of this type were the first to make flights out of sight of land. (19:35)
FROM OUR PARTNERS

Air & Space Magazine

Smithsonian Channel
Watch these short segments from Smithsonian Channel shows.

1996 Brazilian Flight Crashes Seconds After Takeoff from Air Disasters: Carnage in Sao Paolo
This Pressure Suit Helped Pilots Survive New Heights from Survival in the Skies: Space Suits
Were Lithium Batteries the Cause of This Plane Crash? from Air Disasters: Fatal Delivery

Lockheed Martin IMAX Theater, Washington, DC and
Airbus IMAX Theater, Udvar-Hazy Center
Now Playing:
Justice League

Upcoming Feature Films:
December 1 through December 7 - Dunkirk
December 14 - Star Wars: The Last Jedi

Upcoming Sci-Fi Sundays:
December 10 – Double-Feature: Space Balls and Starship Troopers

Visit si.edu/IMAX for more information and to purchase tickets.

Smithsonian Store
A great gift idea, this authentic aloha shirt features the B-24 Liberator, F4U Corsair, B-17 Flying Fortress, P-40 Warhawk, and P-51 Mustang.
The word  Poll  written in white 3D letters on a colorful background concept and theme.
LAST MONTH'S POLL RESULTS

November's question: If you could work at the National Air and Space Museum, which job would you want the most? Choices: Curator, Exhibit Designer, Collections Specialist, Education Specialist, Archivist.

November's results: Out of 289 responses, 108 people (37%) wanted to be a collection specialist, the experts who preserve, restore, and care for the Museum's artifacts. Second choice was curator at 24%, and education specialist was third at 17%. Next came Archivist at 13%, and finally exhibit designer at 8%. It's not hard to understand that having a hand in taking care of famous and historic aircraft, spacecraft, and related small objects would be a desirable job to have.
December's Question
Which flight demonstration squadron would you most like to be a member of?
U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds, flying the F-16 Flying Falcon
U.S. Navy Blue Angels, flying the F/A-18 Hornet
CALENDAR OF EVENTS

At the Museum in Washington, DC

Ingenuity Festival
With special guest planet-hunter Natalie Batalha of the Kepler mission 
November 30, 10:00 am - 3:00 pm

Featuring planet-hunter Natalie Batalha of the Kepler mission
November 30, 6:30 - 9:00 pm
This is a 21+ event. Tickets cost $20 and can be purchased online.

Stargazing at the Phoebe Waterman Haas Public Observatory
November 30, 6:00 - 9:00 pm

Featuring the rock band, Max Impact
December 1, 11:00 am, 12:00 pm, and 1:00 pm

At the Udvar-Hazy Center

There are no events in December at the Udvar-Hazy Center except for those listed below.

Recurring Activities at Both Locations

Don't forget these popular Recurring Activities .
PARTING SHOTS
Transformation-Related News
Recently, Museum specialists moved the World War II-era Sikorsky JRS-1 amphibian seaplane from the Mary Baker Engen Restoration Hangar to display in the Boeing Aviation Hangar at the Udvar-Hazy Center to make room for artifacts needing preservation and restoration as part of the downtown Museum's transformation. The JRS-1 is the only aircraft in the Museum that was at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on December 7, 1941, when the Japanese launched their surprise attack. It is the sole surviving JRS-1 amphibian. Further plans for the seaplane are on hold until after transformation is complete.
Don't Hang These Posters with Tape!
This American Airlines poster (circa 1967) advertises service to Toronto, Ontario, with a collage of Canadian-themed illustrations that form a maple leaf. It is an example of the more than 1,300 posters in the Museum's collection focusing primarily on advertising for aviation-related products and activities. Among other areas, the collection includes 19th century ballooning exhibition posters, early 20th century airplane exhibition and meet posters, and 20th century airline ads. The collection is a unique representation of the cultural, commercial, and military history of aviation and they can be viewed on our website.
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