posted 04-03-2014 05:12 PM               

'Milestone' makeover: Smithsonian Air and Space Museum to renovate main hall

The Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum is set to redefine the "Milestones of Flight," as it begins the first major renovation of its most iconic gallery.

The institution Thursday (April 3) announced that Boeing had donated $30 million in support of the Washington D.C. museum's educational activities and exhibitions, including the extensive redesign of the "Milestones of Flight" gallery in the museum's main hall.

The expanded gallery, which will be completed in time for the National Air and Space Museum's 40th anniversary in 2016 — the same year as Boeing's 100th anniversary — will "trace the interconnected stories of the world's most significant aircraft and spacecraft," museum officials said.

posted 04-03-2014 05:33 PM               

Glad I just got back to the National Air and Space Museum to see it once more before they begin.

posted 04-03-2014 06:31 PM               

As the "Milestones" gallery also serves as the entrance to the museum, it will remain open during its renovation, with only sections of it being closed off as work is undertaken to complete the redesign.

As for the capsule casings, I inquired with the museum and was told:

The plan is to protect the Gemini and Mercury capsules with glass or Plexiglas, but they will not be covered in a "skin" as they are now.

There will be some sort of case, completely protecting the capsules, with separate lighting, air filtering, and U/V protection. These plans are not finalized but the intention is to make them more visible than they are now.

posted 04-03-2014 08:15 PM               

Lunar Module 2 (LM-2), which is to be moved into the National Air and Space Museum's Milestones of Flight, is one of two existing lunar landers built for early Apollo missions.

posted 04-03-2014 09:32 PM               

LM-2 was built for a second unmanned Earth-orbit test flight (D-mission) and LM-9 was built for the original Apollo 15, an H-mission.

posted 04-04-2014 05:40 PM            

The LM-2 and ASTP exhibits are also exposed to a lot of sunlight.

posted 04-04-2014 06:58 PM               

quote:

---

Originally posted by LM-12:
I think the Gemini 4 suits were removed years ago because of sunlight and UV damage.

---

Many years they were on display downtown, coming out of the [Gemini spacecraft]. The light damage, which was so bad, that [they] were sent back to David Clark and David Clark took the cover layers off and made replacement cover layers.

quote:

---

Never did understand why the NASM building was designed that way.

---

The building faces north and south. On the south is Independence Avenue with heavy traffic and lots of sun, which we muted. We created a series of theaters with blocked out areas for aircraft displays. The Mall side faces north. There I used big areas of glass because I did not have to worry about the sun's intensity. At night, people can look into the building and see the airplanes.

posted 04-05-2014 08:52 AM            

A great deal of thought was put into its design. Planes like the Spirit of St. Louis that are suspended just below the glass had to have their fabric protected from the sun and the glass they picked was designed for this.

Spacesuits are another matter and need a whole different level of care and protection as they have learned over the years.

posted 04-05-2014 09:01 AM               

quote:

---

Originally posted by APG85:
Incidentally, the glass panels were replaced/repaired/upgraded several years ago...

---

Gyo Obata, the architect who designed the Air and Space Museum more than two decades ago, called for glass skylights in his original design, but opted for acrylic plastic, he said in an interview, because of "tremendous pressure" from the General Services Administration to keep the budget within the $40 million allocated by Congress.

...Besides installing a new glass skylight system, the renovation entails replacing virtually all of the building's windows with models that block damaging ultraviolet sunlight...

posted 04-05-2014 07:17 PM               

The one change I don't get is the Star Trek Enterprise model. Why have a movie prop surrounded all of these famous air and spacecraft?

I understand the popularity of the show (in reruns at least...I watched it as a kid too) but it hardly had the wide-ranging cultural impact of, say, Lindbergh's Atlantic crossing. I think the Smithsonian could do well with a dedicated "space in movies" themed gallery somewhere, and they have the Close Encounters model on display at Udvar-Hazy to incorporate as well. The International Spy Museum has done a fine job with a recent James Bond exhibition.

posted 04-05-2014 10:35 PM               

quote:

---

Originally posted by 328KF:
Why have a movie prop surrounded all of these famous air and spacecraft?

---

Star Trek pushed the boundaries of network television with its depiction of a mixed-sex, racially-integrated, multinational crew and its attention to contemporary social and political issues. It will join other significant artifacts in this gallery to showcase the importance of popular culture's influence on society.

posted 04-06-2014 11:04 AM               

In reenvisioning and renovating its Milestones exhibition, the museum aims to deepen visitors' understanding of how aviation and spaceflight have transformed the world. Since humans learned to fly, transportation has gotten faster and distant places more accessible. Advances in planetary exploration have made the universe seem larger, altering humans' ideas about themselves and the world. When the museum opened nearly four decades ago, the word "milestone" was defined as "the first" in flight or space travel. Now, the word will describe an artifact having significant or widespread cultural, historic, scientific or technological impact.

posted 06-17-2014 10:20 PM               

Transformation of the Boeing Milestones of Flight Hall begins tomorrow! Stardust will move to "Exploring the Planets."

posted 09-16-2014 10:17 AM               

On September 11, 2014, the studio model of the Star Trek starship Enterprise, which has been on public display at the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum since 1976, was removed for conservation in preparation for its new display location in the Boeing Milestones of Flight Hall, which will open in July 2016.

posted 09-16-2014 02:47 PM               

Since March of 2000, it had been in a custom-built display case on the lower level of the Museum's store.

posted 09-16-2014 06:23 PM               

It's safe to say that Trek has done more to boost interest in the stars among multiple generations of people than most real-life things. It's no less as important as the stories of Jules Verne, just not as old.

The model was really hard to get photos of where it was before (harder to see during the Trek exhibit in the 90s, where it hanging well overhead), I took these shots of the model in 2009:

quote:

---

Originally posted by 328KF:
I can't even remember how many times I have been in that gift shop in the 14 years this model was displayed there. When I read this my first thought was that I never even noticed it was there.

---

posted 09-17-2014 01:34 PM               

quote:

---

Originally posted by APG85:
I like Star Trek but having a model from a TV show in the same company as the Spirit of St. Louis just doesn't seem right. I think it would be better off over in the National Museum of American History in their television area...

---

posted 09-17-2014 03:01 PM               

I get the cultural impact argument and all that, and I understand that the Smithsonian collects all sorts of artifacts for various reasons. I watched Star Trek too, but the main gallery is not the place for it.

That area has always been a focal point for the museum. It's not just that you're surrounded by so many famous air and spacecraft. You can look at each one and say, "Chuck Yeager flew that, Charles Lindbergh flew that across the Atlantic, Armstrong, Aldrin and Collins flew that to the moon." The machines connect you to the heroic people who accomplished the history.

What does a TV show prop do in that regard? William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, etc. were actors, not history makers. Shatner has even expressed his fear of flying on a private suborbital flight.

It will be interesting to see how they incorporate this into the gallery and how they explain it's placement there.

posted 09-18-2014 04:29 PM               

However, we need to remember that part of the museum's mission is to educate the public about the past, present, and future of air and space flight. Many members of the public will struggle to identify the difference between a Mercury, Gemini, or Apollo spacecraft upon seeing one (and they may not know just from looking at it whether a Soyuz is US or Russian), but many of those same people will immediately recognize the iconic Star Trek model.

posted 09-18-2014 07:27 PM               

quote:

---

Originally posted by capoetc:
If the Enterprise model gets more traffic into the Nat'l Air and Space Museum, then maybe it is not such a harebrained idea...

---

posted 09-18-2014 09:30 PM               

When I travel to France and visit the Louvre to view the Mona Lisa, I do not expect to have to view a velvet painting of Dogs Playing Poker before seeing the masterpiece. Yes both have some historical significance, but nothing can hold a candle to the other.

In 2010, when I flew to Washington DC, my first full day was in that museum and I had zero interest in seeing a model of the Star Trek Enterprise. I wanted to be up close and inspect the command module Columbia and John Glenn's Friendship 7, the X-15 and the Spirit of St. Louis. I felt privileged to have had that opportunity. The Smithsonian is an amazing place and does not need cheap tricks to bring in more visitors.

I think it would be wonderful to create a standalone display featuring all those iconic television and movie depictions of space exploration and how they influenced the culture and actual spaceflight. Star Trek, Star Wars, 2001: A Space Odessy, The Jetsons, Apollo 13, Close Encounters, etc. An interesting display even for a space geek like myself. But not in the most important piece of Smithsonian real estate. Give you head a shake Mr. Daily.