Washington DC - Steven F. Udvar-Hazy

The National Air & Space Museum of the Smithsonian is one of the world's most popular museums with lots of toys to enjoy from Lindberg plane to Space capsules but in the last few years, a new toy box has open up, and this one has the BIG Toys. The Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center is located next to Dulles Airport where it has enough room for larger planes from the Enola Gay to the Enterprise shuttle.

The fun begins when you enter on the 2nd level and you are face to face with a Curtiss P-40E Warhawk

But looking down from the edge, you get your first glimpse of one of the highlights of the museum - the Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird - the fastest jet in the world. With its flat black stealth, style the blackbird is also one of the coolest designs.

A new addition to the museum is centered on the restored Space Shuttle Enterprise. Here you can get close enough to truly appreciate its size.

The annex also has numerous exhibits of early rockets and satellites to love.

Vega

SRTM

TDRSS

Tucked away in the back corner there is a special collection of the ‘antique hi-tech’ computers used to control the missions. This is an essential visit for anyone who believes that we were innocent of computers until Jobs and Wozniak first picked an Apple from the tree of knowledge.

The rest of the museum contains more pieces of history including exhibits dedicated to early flight, gliders, and an early 707.

Bigger, and I believe better, than the museum on the mall - definitely worth a trip.



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