Americana

The Stairs to the Top of the Totem Pole.

This is a whale, epic and nearing the size of life. 

Great Barracuda "Phylum Chordata"

The prismatic behavior of these fish make them an easy catch for the eyes.

The Brain Coral exhibit The fine lines represent years of nautical life. 

Northern Gannet Morus Bassanus

A transparent Fish, these are found at the depth of tropical oceans they feed on krill

The museum marked its 100th anniversary on the National Mall with the opening of this new exhibition hall on the same date when the museum opened to the public: March 17, 1910. This major new exhibition hall focuses on the story of human origins and probes the ecological and genetic connections that human beings have had with the natural world over time. It examines the shared framework of humankind -- the biological and cultural history we all share -- as well as the differences that exist and preoccupy us today.

The earliest known human activity on the island dates back to around the 10th millennium BC. Archaeological remains from this period include the well-preserved Neolithic village of Choirokoitia (also known as Khirokitia), which has been declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, along with the Tombs of the Kings. Cyprus is home to some of the oldest water wells in the world, and is the site of the earliest known example of feline domestication. As a strategic location in the Middle East, Cyprus has been occupied by several major powers, including the empires of the Hittites, Assyrians, Egyptians, Persians, Rashiduns, Umayyads, Lusignans, Venetians and Ottomans. Settled by Mycenean Greeks in the 2nd millennium BC, the island also experienced long periods of Greek "rule" under the homogeneous Ptolemies and the Byzantines. In 333 B.C., Alexander the Great liberated the island from the Persians. The Ottoman Empire conquered the island in 1571 and it remained under Ottoman control for over three centuries. It was placed under British administration in 1878 until it was granted independence in 1960, becoming a member of the Commonwealth the following year.

The Hope Diamond (previously "Le bleu de France") is a large, 45.52 carats (9.10 g), deep-blue diamond, housed in the Smithsonian Natural History Museum in Washington, D.C. The Hope Diamond is blue to the naked eye because of trace amounts of boron within its crystal structure, but it exhibits red phosphorescence after exposure to ultraviolet light. It is classified as a Type IIb diamond, and is famous for supposedly being cursed. It received its newest setting on November 18th, 2010

The blue diamonds in the necklace have a link to the biggest rough diamond ever discovered. In 1905, workers at the Premier Diamond Mine in South Africa found a monster diamond with a total pre-cut weight of 3,106.75 carats. The owner of the mine, explorer Thomas Cullinan, had promised his wife that he would find and gift her the largest diamond in the world. Once he actually found it, though, he sold it uncut to the Transvaal government for 150,000 pounds. The Prime Minister of Transvaal gave it to King Edward VII as a birthday present in 1907, and the next year renowned diamond cutter Joseph Asscher cut the giant into nine stones. The largest, a 530.2 carat white diamond that would become known as the Star of Africa, is now set in the British Royal Scepter. The second largest, a 317.4 carat diamond known as the Cullinan II, is set front and center on the Imperial State Crown of Great Britain.
So Cullinan had a lot to make up for with the missus, needless to say.

In honor of his own knighthood in 1910, Cullinan commissioned the necklace for his wife, Annie, and the nine blue diamonds represented the nine pieces that were cut from the original stone. Parts of the huge diamond were placed — in various settings (scepters, rings, crowns, what have you) — in the jewelry trove of the British royal family.
The necklace was bequeathed to each first daughter in each generation. “In the early 1980s, the great-granddaughter, Anne Robinson, got in touch with Stephen Silver and sold him the heirloom. Then Silver sold the necklace to another owner, who is donating it to us,” Post said.

Pure topaz is colorless and transparent but is usually tinted by impurities; typical topaz is wine, yellow, pale gray or reddish-orange, blue brown. It can also be made white, pale green, blue, gold, pink (rare), reddish-yellow or opaque to transparent/translucent.

Hooker Diamonds Diamonds are not always colorless. In most diamonds, a few atoms of nitrogen substituted for some of the carbon as the crystals formed, tint the diamonds yellow or brown. In general the more yellow a diamond, the less it is worth, until the hue is sufficiently intense for the gem to be graded a fancy color. This suite of jewelry was designed by Cartier, Inc. in the late 1980s. The necklace has 50 starburst-cut fancy yellow diamonds set in yellow gold that range in size from 1.0-20 carats and total approximately 245 carats. The matching ear clips each feature a 25.3 carat yellow diamond surrounded by baguette and pear shaped colorless diamonds. The ring showcases a 61.12 carat fancy yellow diamond flanked by triangular cut colorless diamonds. This suite of fancy colored diamond jewelry was a gift of Mrs. Janet Annenberg Hooker to the Smithsonian in 1994.

The ruby is a pink to blood-red colored gemstone, a variety of the mineral corundum (aluminium oxide). The red color is caused mainly by the presence of the element chromium. Its name comes from ruber, Latin for red. Other varieties of gem-quality corundum are called sapphires. The ruby is considered one of the four precious stones, together with the sapphire, the emerald, and the diamond.

The gem variety of zoisite known as tanzanite was first discovered in 1967 in Tanzania. Tanzanite is a strongly pleochroic gem, appearing intense blue, violet, or red depending on the direction from which the crystal is viewed, and the orientation in which a gem is cut. This magnificent pair of matched tanzanite gems weighs approximately 30 carats, and they exhibit beautifully the highly-prized intense sapphire-blue color with modifying highlights of violet. The floral platinum brooch, designed by Harry Winston in 1991, has approximately 24 carats of diamonds. The tanzanite “flowers” can be detached and worn as earrings. The Petersen Tanzanite Brooch was generously gifted to the National Gem Collection in 2002. 

Hall of Geology, Gems, and Minerals The National Gem and Mineral Collection is one of the most significant collections of its kind in the world. The collection includes some of the most famous pieces of gems and minerals including the Hope Diamond and the Star of Asia Sapphire, one of the largest sapphires in the world. There are currently over 15,000 individual gems in the collection, as well as 350,000 minerals and 300,000 samples of rock and ore specimens. Additionally, the Smithsonian's National Gem and Mineral Collection houses approximately 35,000 meteorites, which is considered to be one of the most comprehensive collections of its kind in the world. The museum as seen from the National Mall, the Old Post Office Building visible in the distance The collection is displayed in the Janet Annenberg Hooker Hall of Geology, Gems and Minerals, one of the many galleries in the Museum of Natural History. Some of the most important donors are Washington A. Roebling, the man who built the Brooklyn Bridge, who gave 16,000 specimens to the collection, Frederick A. Canfield, who donated 9,000 specimens to the collection, and Dr. Isaac Lea, who donated the base of the museum’s collection of 1312 gems and minerals.

Variscite is a hydrated aluminium phosphate mineral (AlPO4·2H2O). It is a relatively rare phosphate mineral. It is sometimes confused with turquoise; however, variscite is usually greener in color. Variscite is a secondary mineral formed by direct deposition from phosphate-bearing water that has reacted with aluminium-rich rocks in a near-surface environment. It occurs as fine-grained masses in nodules, cavity fillings, and crusts. Variscite often contains white veins of the calcium aluminium phosphate mineral crandallite. Variscite is sometimes used as a semi-precious stone, and is popular for carvings and ornamental use. It was first described in 1837 and named for the type locality of Variscia, the historical name of Vogtland in Germany. At one time, variscite was called Utahlite. At times, materials which may be turquoise or may be variscite have been marketed as "variquoise". Appreciation of the color ranges typically found in variscite have made it a popular gem in recent years. Variscite from Nevada typically contains black spiderwebbing in the matrix and is often confused with green turquoise. Most of the Nevada variscite recovered in recent decades has come from mines located in Lander County."

Sulfur was considered important enough to receive its own alchemical symbol. It was needed to make black gunpowder, and the bright yellow powder was hypothesized by alchemists to contain some of the properties of gold, which they sought to synthesize from it. In 1777, Antoine Lavoisier helped convince the scientific community that sulfur was a basic element, rather than a compound. Elemental sulfur was once extracted from salt domes where it sometimes occurs in nearly pure form, but this method is now obsolete. In the 21st century, almost all elemental sulfur is produced as a byproduct of removing sulfur-containing contaminants from natural gas and petroleum. The element's commercial uses are primarily in fertilizers, because of the relatively high requirement of plants for it, and in the manufacture of sulfuric acid, a primary industrial chemical. Other well-known uses for the element are in matches, insecticides and fungicides. Many sulfur compounds are odiferous, and the smell of odorized natural gas, skunk scent, grapefruit, and garlic is due to sulfur compounds. Hydrogen sulfide produced by living organisms imparts the characteristic odor to rotting eggs and other biological processes. Sulfur is an essential element for all life, and is widely used in biochemical processes. In metabolic reactions, sulfur compounds serve as both fuels and respiratory (oxygen-replacing) materials for simple organisms. Sulfur in organic form is present in the vitamins biotin and thiamine, the latter being named for the Greek word for sulfur. Sulfur is an important part of many enzymes and also in antioxidant molecules like glutathione and thioredoxin. Organically bonded sulfur is a component of all proteins, as the amino acids cysteine and methionine. Disulfide bonds are largely responsible for the mechanical strength and insolubility of the protein keratin, found in outer skin, hair, and feathers, and the element contributes to their pungent odor when burned."]

Elemental sulfur crystals are commonly sought after by mineral collectors for their brightly colored polyhedron shapes. Being abundant in native form, sulfur was known in ancient times, mentioned for its uses in ancient Greece, China and Egypt. Sulfur fumes were used as fumigants, and sulfur-containing medicinal mixtures were used as balms and antiparasitics. Sulfur is referenced in the Bible as brimstone, with this name still used in several nonscientific terms.

Rhodochrosite is a manganese carbonate mineral with chemical composition MnCO3. In its (rare) pure form, it is typically a rose-red color, but impure specimens can be shades of pink to pale brown. The streak is white. Its Mohs hardness varies between 3.5 and 4. Its specific gravity is 3.5 to 3.7. It crystallizes in the trigonal system. The cleavage is typical rhombohedral carbonate cleavage in three directions. Crystal twinning often is present. It is transparent to translucent with refractive indices of nω=1.814 to 1.816, nε=1.596 to 1.598. It is often confused with the manganese silicate, rhodonite, but is distinctly softer. Rhodochrosite forms a complete solid solution series with iron carbonate (siderite). Calcium, (as well as magnesium and zinc, to a limited extent) frequently substitutes for manganese in the structure, leading to lighter shades of red and pink, depending on the degree of substitution. It is for this reason that the most common color encountered is pink. Rhodochrosite occurs as a hydrothermal vein mineral along with other manganese minerals in low temperature ore deposits as in the silver mines of Romania where it was first found. Banded rhodochrosite is mined in Capillitas, Argentina. Catamarca, Argentina has an old Incan silver mine that has produced fine stalactitic examples of rhodochrosite that are unique and very attractive. Cut cross-sections reveal concentric bands of light and dark rose colored layers. These specimens are carved and used for many ornamental purposes. Its main use is as an ore of manganese which is a key component of low-cost stainless steel formulations and certain aluminium alloys. Quality banded specimens are often used for decorative stones and jewelry. Due to its being relatively soft, and having perfect cleaveage, it is very difficult to cut, and therefore rarely found faceted in jewelry. It was first described in 1813 in reference to a sample from Cavnic, Maramureş, present-day Romania. According to Dimitrescu and Radulescu, 1966 and to Papp, 1997, this mineral was described for the first time in Sacaramb, Romania, not in Cavnic, Romania. The name is derived from the Greek word ῥοδόχρως meaning rose-colored. Colorado officially named rhodochrosite as its state mineral in 2002 based on a proposal by a local high school (Platte Canyon High School in Bailey,Colorado). The reason for this lies in the fact that while the mineral is found worldwide, large red crystals are found only in a few places on earth, and some of the best specimens have been found in the Sweet Home Mine near Alma, Colorado. The Alma King is the largest known rhodochrosite crystal; it was found in the Sweet Home Mine near Alma, Colorado. It is on display in the Denver Museum of Nature and Science. The Incas believed that rhodochrosite is the blood of their former rulers, turned to stone, therefore it is sometimes called "Rosa del Inca" or "Inca Rose"."

Malachite is a copper carbonate mineral, with the formula Cu2CO3(OH)2. This green-colored mineral crystallizes in the monoclinic crystal system, and most often forms botryoidal, fibrous, or stalagmitic masses. Individual crystals are rare but do occur as slender to acicular prisms. Pseudomorphs after more tabular or blocky azurite crystals also occur.

George Gabriel Stokes named the phenomenon fluorescence in 1852. 

He chose the name "to denote the general appearance of a solution of sulphate of quinine and similar media".[2] The name was derived from the mineral fluorite (calcium difluoride), some examples of which contain traces of divalent europium, which serves as the fluorescent activator to emit blue light. Fluorescence has many practical applications, including mineralogy, gemology, chemical sensors, fluorescent labelling, dyes, biological detectors, and, most commonly, fluorescent lamps."

Scheelite is a calcium tungstate mineral with the chemical formula CaWO4. It is an important ore of tungsten. Well-formed crystals are sought by collectors and are occasionally fashioned into gemstones when suitably free of flaws. Scheelite has been synthesized via the Czochralski process; the material produced may be used to imitate diamond, as a scintillator, or as a solid state lasing medium.

Leech Jar at the Smithsonian Museum of American History

Barbie is a fashion doll manufactured by the American toy-company Mattel, Inc. and launched in March 1959. American businesswoman Ruth Handler is credited with the creation of the doll using a German doll called Bild Lilli as her inspiration.
Barbie is the figurehead of a brand of Mattel dolls and accessories, including other family members and collectible dolls. Barbie has been an important part of the toy fashion doll market for fifty years, and has been the subject of numerous controversies and lawsuits, often involving parody of the doll and her lifestyle.

Saccharin was first produced in 1878 by Constantin Fahlberg, a chemist working on coal tar derivatives in Ira Remsen's laboratory at the Johns Hopkins University. The sweet taste of saccharin was discovered when Fahlberg noticed a sweet taste on his hand one evening, and connected this with the compound which he had been working on that day. Fahlberg and Remsen published articles on benzoic sulfimide in 1879 and 1880. In 1884, now working on his own in New York City, Fahlberg applied for patents in several countries describing methods of producing this substance that he named saccharin. Fahlberg would soon grow wealthy, while Remsen merely grew irate, believing that he deserved credit for substances produced in his laboratory. On the matter, Remsen commented, "Fahlberg is a scoundrel. It nauseates me to hear my name mentioned in the same breath with him."
Although saccharin was commercialized not long after its discovery, it was not until sugar shortages during World War I that its use became widespread. Its popularity further increased during the 1960s and 1970s among dieters, since saccharin is a calorie-free sweetener. In the United States saccharin is often found in restaurants in pink packets; the most popular brand is "Sweet'N Low".
Saccharin was delisted by the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) of the California Environmental Protection Agency from the list of chemicals known to the state to cause cancer on April 6, 2001. It had been added to the list in 1989.

1864 - Merrill Mills founded the Detroit Stove Works Co. in 1864

 Antiquated ACCO trademark Lawnmowers

The 1948 Tucker Sedan or Tucker '48 Sedan (initially named the Tucker Torpedo) was an advanced automobile conceived by Preston Tucker and briefly produced in Chicago in 1948. Only 51 cars were made before the company folded on March 3, 1949, due to negative publicity initiated by the news media, a Securities and Exchange Commission investigation and a heavily publicized stock fraud trial (which allegations were proven baseless in court with a full acquittal). Speculation exists that the circumstances which brought the Tucker Corporation down were contributed to by the Big Three automakers and Michigan senator Homer S. Ferguson. The 1988 movie, Tucker: The Man and His Dream is based on Tucker's spirit and the saga surrounding the car's production.

In 1903, H. Nelson Jackson and Sewall K. Crocker completed the first motor trip across the United States in this car, which Jackson named for his home state. The men often used a block and tackle to pull the car out of mudholes. When the Winton needed repairs, they telegraphed the factory for parts and awaited delivery by railroad.

As more people took to the road, clusters of roadside businesses sprang up to accommodate motorists’ needs. By 1925, many tourists stayed in roadside cabins rather than at campsites or hotels. Hotel operators, worried that cabins were undermining their business, warned that the cabins were dens of vice and danger. FBI director J. Edgar Hoover claimed that criminals used tourist cabins as hideouts. Still, auto courts became more and more popular. But as motorists began to look for consistency along the road, they patronized chain restaurants and motels instead of family-owned businesses.
Ring’s Rest, located about 20 miles north of Washington, D.C., was one of many small tourist courts scattered along U.S. 1 from Maine to Florida. The Ringe family rented out four wooden cabins and owned a roadside store with gasoline pumps. Miles from the nearest town, the Ringe family lived within earshot of highway traffic but in relative isolation. The only neighboring buildings were a general store, a railroad station, and a roadhouse. 

In the 1920s, railroads were a central part of American life. Railroad lines crisscrossed the country. They carried people, manufactured goods, food, the daily mail, and express packages. Railroads made long-distance travel possible, but the opportunities for travel were not equally shared. In the South, African Americans were segregated into “Jim Crow” cars. Salisbury, North Carolina, was linked to the nationwide system by the Southern Railway. Its main route ran between Washington, D.C., and New Orleans, Louisiana, by way of Salisbury. The depot and rail freight sheds made the town a part of the country’s rail network. The railroad also provided job opportunities in the community: in nearby Spencer, the vast locomotive repair shops employed 2,500 skilled workers.

First Ladies at the Smithsonian

Permanent
National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center 2nd Floor, West Wing

This exhibition highlights the role of the first lady and features in two galleries a total of 24 first ladies' gowns and more than 100 other objects, including portraits, White House china, and personal possessions from the Smithsonian's collection. A section discussing the tradition of the first ladies' inaugural gown answers some of the most frequently asked questions about the gown collection. Another section focuses on the contributions of the first ladies, the country's expectations of them, and the ways in which they have supported the most powerful office in the country.
Gowns on view in the first gallery include those worn by Helen Taft (2), Martha Washington, Mary Todd Lincoln, Lucy Hayes, Frances Cleveland, Florence Harding, Grace Coolidge, Dolley Madison, Julia Grant, Eleanor Roosevelt, Mamie Eisenhower, and Jacqueline Kennedy.
Additions include:
March 10, 2010
The Modern Gown Gallery: A First Lady's Debut
This new gallery features 11 inaugural gowns from the country's contemporary first ladies, beginning with Mamie Eisenhower to Michelle Obama. It focuses on the public interest and media coverage of the first lady's "debut" during the inauguration, using contemporary accounts to relay first impressions of each woman and the role she might play in the White House. The white chiffon, one-shoulder, floor-length gown that Jason Wu designed for Michelle Obama to wear to the 2009 inaugural balls, along with shoes by Jimmy Choo and the diamond jewelry she wore, is displayed in a case in the center of the gallery. Also on view in the hallway outside this gallery are watercolor sketches of 14 gowns from the collection.
YouTube Video: Museum staff members provide a rare, behind-the-scenes look at the work involved in conserving the first ladies' dresses and accessories.
6-minute video featuring First Lady Michelle Obama's donation of her inaugural gown to the museum, with remarks by designer Jason Wu mand Secretary Clough (runs continuously in the exhibition)

 

 

Hillary Rodham Clinton's inaugural gown, 1993 This gown, a blue-violet beaded lace sheath with a mousseline overskirt, was created by the New York designer Sarah Phillips and made by Barbara Matera Ltd. Mrs. Clinton formally donated the gown and matching velvet coat, which she wore to eleven inaugural balls on January 20, 1993, to the National Museum of American History in 1995. 

Betty Ford was thrown into the role of first lady on August 9, 1974, when Richard Nixon resigned and her husband, Gerald Ford, was sworn in as the thirty-eighth president. The public quickly got to know the candid newcomer. Newspapers across the country covered Mrs. Ford’s September press conference, the first formal press conference held by a first lady. Stories reported that she would campaign for ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment, leaned toward supporting abortion rights, and encouraged women’s active participation in politics. In late September the media covered her diagnosis of, and surgery and treatment for, breast cancer. Her open discussion of her illness generated an outpouring of public sympathy and heightened public awareness of the disease.

Jacqueline Kennedy (right)

For the 1961 celebration, Kennedy collaborated on a design with Bergdorf Goodman's Ethel Frankau. "What you see with the inaugural gown is the triumph of her own personal style," the Fashion Institute of Technology's Valerie Steele has said. "To use fashion as a way of representing her husband's presidency—to look modern, elegant, simple and American." The sheath layered blouson chiffon over a silver-embroidered bodice.

Pat Nixon (Right)

For the 1969 gala, Nixon selected a mimosa-hued gown designed by Karen Stark for Harvey Berin. "The Nixons are middle-American people who don't want to be flash-in-the-pan," her wardrobe mistress Clara Treyz told Time. "They don't want to be jet-setty or way out. Mrs. Nixon must be ladylike." The First Lady wore the Swarovski crystal-studded satin dress and matching bolero jacket to two more public events.

Mrs. Reagan chose a single-shoulder James Galanos for her husband's 1981 inaugural ball. "She knew her style very well, and it was always simple and elegant," Galanos told the Los Angeles Times. The First Lady made the most of the $22,500 hand-beaded gown by wearing it a second time before donating it to the Smithsonian

The pinnacle of the golden age of American auto racing"--This is how one automobile historian described the Miller 91 Packard Cable Special, one of 12 such racing cars built by Harry A. Miller. It boasted front-wheel drive, 91-cubic-inch displacement, eight cylinders, and a supercharged engine that produced more than 230 horsepower. Remarkably, though, it weighed only 290 pounds. This particular car was driven by Ralph Hepburn in the 1929 Indianapolis 500 and set speed records of 143 miles per hour in Europe. In 1991 the car also won two of the most rigorous antique auto competitions in the world: the Pebble Beach Concours in California and the Bagatelle Concours Paris.

James Smithson, F.R.S., M.A. (1764 – 27 June 1829) was a British mineralogist and chemist noted for having left a bequest in his will to the United States of America, to create "an establishment for the increase and diffusion of knowledge among men" to be called the Smithsonian Institution.

Not much is known about Smithson's life: his scientific collections, notebooks, diaries, and correspondence were lost in a fire that destroyed the Smithsonian Institution Building in 1865; only the 213 volumes of his personal library and some personal writings survived. Smithson was born Jacques Louis Macie on an unknown date early in 1764, in Paris, France, an illegitimate, unacknowledged son of an English landowner, the highly regarded and accomplished Sir Hugh Smithson, 4th Baronet of Stanwick, north Yorkshire, who had married into the Percy family. In 1766 he became 1st Duke of Northumberland, K.G.

Richard Rush (1780-1859), son of Benjamin Rush, the famous Philadelphia physician, was a lawyer and statesman. He served as Secretary of State under James Monroe, United States Minister to Great Britain from 1817 to 1825, and United States Minister to France from 1847-1849. This set of porcelain, made by the firm “Rihouet” of Paris, was collected by Rush while he was minister to France. Rihouet was established in 1818 and was awarded the title of faience maker to the King in 1824. The company specialized mainly in table services and tea or coffee sets. The pieces in this set are decorated with scenes and monuments from all over the world as well as fruits, flowers, and putti, all popular motifs from the first half of the nineteenth century.
 

 

Due to his keen observation of detail and unfiltered representation of society, Balzac is regarded as one of the founders of realism in European literature. He is renowned for his multi-faceted characters, which are complex, morally ambiguous and fully human. His writing influenced many famous authors, including the novelists Marcel Proust, Émile Zola, Charles Dickens, Edgar Allan Poe, Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Gustave Flaubert, Marie Corelli, Henry James, William Faulkner, Jack Kerouac, and Italo Calvino as well as important philosophers such as Friedrich Engels. Many of Balzac's works have been made into or inspired films, and they are a continuing source of inspiration for writers, filmmakers, and critics alike.

Vase, Chinese, 19th Century

One of a pair of similar, but non-matching vases. Although this vase is labeled on the base with a mark from the Ch’ien-lung period (1736-95), it probably dates from the Ch’ing dynasty (19th century). The red and green overglazes are called “Famille rose” and “Famille verte” respectively and the tubular handles on each side of the neck represent sections of bamboo.

Wiley Post high altitude helmet

Experimental full pressure helmet worn by Wiley Post. Instrumental in developing the world's first practical pressure suit, Wiley Post wore this helmet in his high altitude flights in 1934 and 1935, attaining altitude of well over 35,000 feet. The helmet was fitted with a special oxygen system and could accommodate earphones and a throat microphone. Gift of B.F. Goodrich Co.

Chuck Yeager's helmet

Flying helmet worn by General Charles Yeager. Best known as the first pilot to break the sound barrier, Yeager had a long and distinguished career in the U.S. Air Force. He wore this Type MB-4 helmet while commanding the 89th Interceptor Squadron. Donated by Gen. and Mrs. Charles E. Yeager.
"The Smithsonian Institution: America's Treasure Chest" exhibit, Smithsonian Institution Building (Smithsonian Castle), Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC

Moccasins of the North American Plains and Prairies

Cheyenne, Western Apache, Plains Cree, Kaw (Kansa), Arapaho, Comanche, Sioux & Winnebago moccasins; The Commons, Smithsonian Castle;
Washington, D.C.

Giant-bird-eating Tarantula (Theraphosa blondi) Natural range Northern South America

This specimen was captive bred in the U.S. and spent many years in the insect zoo (National Museum of Natural History)

Franco Harris football helmet
1980 RB Pittsburgh Steelers
Located at the Castle, Smithsonian Institute, Washington DC
From National Museum of American History, Behring Center

Kristi Yamaguchi’s Figure Skates, 1990’s

Ice skater Kristi Yamaguchi (b. 1971), a world and national champion in both singles and pairs, became the first Asian American women to win an Olympic gold medal. (Museum of American History)

Football, 1981

This game ball was presented to University of Alabama coach Pawl W. “Bear” Bryant (1913-1983) upon becoming the “winningest” coach in NCAA football history, a record which he held for 20 years. (Museum of American History – Behring Center)

Paul Manship

Standing Nude, about 1927

 

Bronze; Patriotism, 1955

Paul Manship

Gibson electric guitar

Gibson electric guitar, 1984. Shunned as a novelty in the 1930s and reinvented in the 50s, the electric guitar has become an AMerican classic. This model, by the Gibson Company, was introduced in 1952 and designed in cooperation with guitarist and innovator Les Paul.

These Electra's are one of many clones of the Sony TR-610. What sets them apart is that the entire front is covered with a metal facade.
Circa early 60's.

Space bill

This dollar bill was signed by the Apollo 15 astronauts (David R. Scott, Alfred M. Worden, Jim Irwin) and carried with them aboard the spacecraft Endeavor. Apollo 15, July 1971.

Lot No: 107
APOLLO COMMAND MODULE ROCKET ENGINE.
Apollo Command Module rocket engine, made by Rocketdyne, Model SE-8, steel and ablative material, 14 inches long and 3Ω inches wide at nozzle base. Fuel and oxidizer valve assemblies are at the top with the associated electrical wiring connections. An ablative nozzle is at the bottom. Internal components consist of a block of ablative material and sleeve, refractory throat insert, and a stainless steel shell. A Rocketdyne ID label reads in part: "Propulsion System Component, Part Name: Rocket Engine Assembly, Part No. 99-106003, Model No. SE 8-2, Date of Mfg. 2Q 64 (second quarter, 1964) Serial No. 4058366."

Trilobites (pronounced /ˈtraɪləbaɪt/, meaning "three lobes") are a well-known fossil group of extinct marine arthropodsclass Trilobita. The first appearance of trilobites in the fossil record defines the base of the AtdabanianEarly Cambrian period ( that form the stage of the 526 million years ago), and they flourished throughout the lower Paleozoic era before beginning a drawn-out decline to extinction when, during the Devonian, all trilobite orders, with the sole exception of Proetida, died out. Trilobites finally disappeared in the mass extinction at the end of the Permian about 250 million years ago.

In the spring of 1861, Ulysses Grant hardly seemed destined for greatness. Having resigned his army captain's commission in 1854, this West Point graduate was eking out a living as a clerk in his brother's leather shop. But the Civil War marked a dramatic shift in his fortune. Reenlisting in the army, he was soon made a general. By war's end, he was commander of all Union land forces, and as the chief architect of the South's defeat, he had become one of the country's most admired heroes. Grant's popularity inevitably led to his election to the presidency in 1868. But here he proved less successful, and his weak control over his administration spawned an outbreak of federal corruption that made "Grantism" synonymous with public graft. Nevertheless, Grant's personal charisma waned but little through his two terms. Had he succumbed to talk of running for a third, he perhaps would have won.
Grant posed for this portrait shortly after he returned from a triumphant world tour following his presidency. The largely self-taught artist Thomas LeClear painted two versions. This one was originally owned by Grant himself, while the second one became part of the White House collection.

$20.00 Wine Tax Revenue Stamp

U.S. Internal Revenue Bottle Stamp Series III

1926 U.S. Revenue Tobacco Stamp

Other items that were subject to Federal taxes from time to time include adulterated butter, process butter (rancid butter reprocessed for human consumption), mixed flour, oleomargarine (at the urging of butter producers), and filled cheese. The most common of these are oleomargarine stamps of the series of 1926, 1931 and 1935.

LOVE is a sculpture by American artist Robert Indiana. It consists of the letters LO (with the O canted sideways) over the letters VE. The image was originally designed as a Christmas card for the Museum of Modern Art in 1964, and first exhibited as a sculpture in Philadelphia in 1960. The original three-dimensional version of LOVE is made of COR-TEN steel and has been on exhibit at the Indianapolis Museum of Art since 1975.

The west end of the building, with its soaring single story halls and abundant natural light, was designed with the Institution's public functions in mind. The teaching college that Robert Dale Owen envisioned for the Smithsonian would have required many lecture halls. As designed by architect James Renwick, Jr., this grand, well-lit space was planned for such a use, with its rounded apse providing an admirable lecturer’s podium.  The high windows and skylights, which made the West Wing a successful design for a lecture hall, were also considered ideal for a gallery of art. Although the entire west end was designated as an art gallery in the 1849 plan, when it was completed the West Wing served as the Smithsonian’s library, and the West Range was adapted for use as a reading room. It was not until after the fire of 1865, when the Institution’s library collection was transferred to the Library of Congress, that the West Wing and Range were wholly dedicated to use as exhibition space. 
Beginning with the displays of Mineralogy and concluding with those of Graphic Arts, the West Wing and Range provided educational exhibitions for over one hundred years.  The 
renovation of the building in the late 1960s, combined with the erection of the Museum of History and Technology in 1964, represented a dramatic change for this area. The last museum exhibits in the building were removed, and the grand Gothic spaces of the west end were restored as communal gathering places.  The dedication of this area to a lounge and dining room signaled the new status of the building as a visitors’ center. 

Postal clerk chest badge, number 8445

Description:

U.S. Post Office Department clerk badge, number 8445, with horizontal hinged pin and safety clasp on verso. Shield design with horse and rider medallion; numerical figures positioned on upper raised banner; lower portion inscribed "WASHINGTON." Inscription on back reads "U.S. Government Property / If Found / Drop in Mail Box."

Keuffel and Esser started out in New York and sold drawing materials and drafting supplies. In 1876, K&E (as the company was known) started selling surveying instruments. A four-story factory in Hoboken, New Jersey was completed four years later, and K&E was incorporated in 1889.
In the following decade Keuffel and Esser introduced another, new line of surveying instruments based on the work of John Paoli, an Italian immigrant in Hoboken.
K&E acquired Young & Sons in 1918 and made it a department of the firm. In the 1920s, K&E started manufacturing slide rules. In World War II the company made fire-control instruments for the US Government and won three Army-Navy ‘E’ Awards for Excellence in Production.
However, with the advent of the electronic, transistorized calculator in the 1970s, slide rules became obsolete in most contexts. Slide rules had never been very profitable for K&E, so it was not difficult to discontinue the line. K&E's market share shrank due to other technological advancements and the firm shut down its slide rule engraving machines in 1975.
Keuffel and Esser had an office in Montreal, at 130 Montée de Liesse, in the 1960's.
K&E was acquired by AZON Corp. in 1987.

General Philip Sheridon

Ivory Tusk Chinese Boat

Ivory Tusk intricately carved into the form of a Chinese boat and resting on a carved wooden base. Parts of the boat are inscribed with the characters seen at the left which translate as "one thousand autumns."

Ivory Tusk Chinese Village

Carved ivory tusk depicting scenes of Chinese village life. The carved tusk rests on a carved wooden base.

The National Museum of African Art is a museum that is part of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C.. Located on the National Mall, the museum specializes in African art and culture. It was established as a private museum in 1964, and officially became a part of the Smithsonian Institution in August 1979.

Window at the museum, showing the circular motif used in its design

The museum's main entrance is situated off the gardens in front of the Smithsonian Castle on Independence AvenueFreer Gallery of Art and the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, the National Museum of African Art is an underground museum. It connects directly to the Sackler Gallery via a subterranean passageway. This site is often confused with the Museum for African Art in New York City. Southwest. Like the
Artwork in the museum comes from all parts of Africa, but most of it is from the region south of the Sahara. Represented countries include Mali, Cameroon, Tanzania, the Democratic Republic of Congo, South Africa, Ghana, and Morocco, among others. Most of the items in the collection are sculptures, masks, furniture, and musical instruments made from wood.




History
The roots of the museum date back to a chance purchase of a $15 carving of the Yoruba people by Warren M. Robbins in Hamburg, Germany in the early 1960s. Robbins purchased another 32 pieces of African art a year later, and brought his collection with him when he returned to the United States, putting them on display at his home in Washington, D.C. After a newspaper article was published about his collection, visitors started appearing at the door and were welcomed in to view the works.
In 1963, Robbins purchased half of a home at 316-18 A Street Northeast that had been the residence of abolitionist Frederick Douglass from 1871 to 1877. When it opened in May 1964, it was the first museum in the United States dedicated to African art exclusively. In succeeding years, Robbins raised money to acquire the remaining half of the Douglass house, naming it the Museum of African Art. As the collection grew, he purchased adjoining residences, with his museum ultimately including nine townhouses, 16 garages and two carriage houses.
In 1979, Congress agreed to have the Smithsonian Institution assume management of the collection. Robbins served as the museum's first director, remaining in the position until 1983 when he was named founding director emeritus and a Smithsonian senior scholar, and replaced as director by Sylvia H. Williams. The museum relocated from its Capitol HillNational Mall on September 1987 and renamed the National Museum of African Art. townhouse to the

The Pershing-II and SS-20 missiles exhibited here are two of more than 2,600 nuclear missiles banned by the Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, which was signed by the United States and the Soviet Union in December 1987. The INF Treaty is a milestone in the effort to control nuclear arms. It is the first international agreement to eliminate an entire class of nuclear weapons--those having a range of 500-5,500 kilometers (300-3,400 miles). The U.S. Pershing-II and the Soviet SS-20 were regarded as the most threatening missiles in this class.

GOES (Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite)

Since the first launch in 1975, GOES spacecraft have gone through several generations of technical development. Unlike previous spin-stabilized satellites, the current GOES series has a three-axis body-stabilized design that allows its sensors to continuously point towards the Earth. A rotating solar array supplies power, and a long solar sail boom balances the craft.
The National Air and Space Museum gratefully acknowledges the generous donation of the GOES 1/2 scale model by Space Systems/LORAL, Palo Alto, California

GOES 1, designated GOES-A and SMS-C prior to entering service, was a weather satellite operated by the United StatesNational Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. It was the first Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite to be launched.

 Launch

GOES-A lifts off aboard Delta 2914 D116.

GOES-A was launched atop a Delta 2914 from Launch Complex 17B at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The launch occurred at 22:40:00 GMT on October 16, 1975, and left the satellite in a geosynchronous transfer orbit. Following launch, it raised itself to a geostationary orbit by means of its onboard SVM-5 apogee motor, at which time it was redesignated GOES 1.

 Operations

It was positioned over the Indian Ocean to gather data for the Global Atmospheric Research Programme. GOES 1 was equipped with a Visible Infrared Spin Scan Radiometer, or VISSER, which provided day and night imagery of terrestrial cloud conditions. It returned its first image on October 25, 1975, nine days after launch. The satellite continuously monitored weather events and relayed this meteorological data from over 10,000 surface locations into a central processing center. The data was then incorporated into weather prediction models. It also carried a Space Environment Monitor and a Data Collection System, derived from those used on TIROS satellites.
GOES 1 was replaced by GOES 3, which was launched in 1978. After finishing operations over the Indian Ocean, it was moved to replace SMS-2 over the Pacific Ocean. It remained operational there until it was deactivated by NASA on March 7, 1985.

The Goodyear Blimp is the collective name for a fleet of blimps operated by Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company for advertising purposes and for use as a television camera platform for aerial views of sporting events. Goodyear began producing airship envelopes in 1911 and introduced its own blimp, The Pilgrim, in 1925.

The design of the telescope had always incorporated servicing missions, and astronomers immediately began to seek potential solutions to the problem that could be applied at the first servicing mission, scheduled for 1993. While Kodak and Itek had each ground back-up mirrors for Hubble, it would have been impossible to replace the mirror in orbit, and too expensive and time-consuming to bring the telescope temporarily back to Earth for a refit. Instead, the fact that the mirror had been ground so precisely to the wrong shape led to the design of new optical components with exactly the same error but in the opposite sense, to be added to the telescope at the servicing mission, effectively acting as "spectacles" to correct the spherical aberration.
The first step was a precise characterization of the error in the main mirror. Working backwards from images of point sources, astronomers determined that the conic constant of the mirror as built was −1.01390±0.0002, instead of the intended −1.00230. The same number was also derived by analyzing the null corrector used by Perkin-Elmer to figure the mirror, as well as by analyzing interferograms obtained during ground testing of the mirror.
Because of the way the HST's instruments were designed, two different sets of correctors were required. The design of the Wide Field and Planetary Camera 2, already planned to replace the existing WF/PC, included relay mirrors to direct light onto the eight separate CCD chips making up its two cameras. An inverse error built into their surfaces could completely cancel the aberration of the primary. However, the other instruments lacked any intermediate surfaces that could be figured in this way, and so required an external correction device.
The Corrective Optics Space Telescope Axial Replacement (COSTAR) system was designed to correct the spherical aberration for light focused at the FOC, FOS, and GHRS. It consists of two mirrors in the light path with one ground to correct the aberration. To fit the COSTAR system onto the telescope, one of the other instruments had to be removed, and astronomers selected the High Speed Photometer to be sacrificed. By 2002 all of the original instruments requiring COSTAR had been replaced by instruments with their own corrective optics. COSTAR was removed and returned to Earth in 2009 where it is exhibited at the National Air and Space Museum. The area previously used by COSTAR is now occupied by the Cosmic Origins Spectrograph.

Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe

The Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP) is a NASA Explorer mission that launched June 2001 to make fundamental measurements of cosmology -- the study of the properties of our universe as a whole. WMAP has been stunningly successful, producing our new Standard Model of Cosmology. WMAP's data stream has ended. Full analysis of the data will be competed in the remaining two years of the mission.

New! WMAP 7-year Results, Jan. 26, 2010

• The WMAP team has reported the first direct detection of pre-stellar helium, providing an important test of the big bang prediction.
• WMAP now places 50% tighter limits on the standard model of cosmology.
• WMAP has detected a key signature of inflation.
• WMAP strongly constrains dark energy and geometry of the universe.
• WMAP places new constraints on the number of neutrino-like species in the early universe.
• WMAP has detected, with very high significance, temperature shifts induced by hot gas in galaxy clusters.
• WMAP has produced a visual demonstration of the polarization pattern around hot and cold spots.

WMAP's Top Ten

1. NASA's Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP) has mapped the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) radiation (the oldest light in the universe) and produced the first fine-resolution (0.2 degree) full-sky map of the microwave sky
2. WMAP definitively determined the age of the universe to be 13.73 billion years old to within 1% (0.12 billion years) -as recognized in the Guinness Book of World Records!
3. WMAP nailed down the curvature of space to within 1% of "flat" Euclidean, improving on the precision of previous award-winning measurements by over an order of magnitude
4. The CMB became the "premier baryometer" of the universe with WMAP's precision determination that ordinary atoms (also called baryons) make up only 4.6% of the universe (to within 0.1%)
5. WMAP's complete census of the universe finds that dark matter (not made up of atoms) make up 23.3% (to within 1.3%)
6. WMAP's accuracy and precision determined that dark energy makes up 72.1% of the universe (to within 1.5%), causing the expansion rate of the universe to speed up. - "Lingering doubts about the existence of dark energy and the composition of the universe dissolved when the WMAP satellite took the most detailed picture ever of the cosmic microwave background (CMB)." - Science Magazine 2003, "Breakthrough of the Year" article
7. WMAP has mapped the polarization of the microwave radiation over the full sky and discovered that the universe was reionized earlier than previously believed. - "WMAP scores on large-scale structure. By measuring the polarization in the CMB it is possible to look at the amplitude of the fluctuations of density in the universe that produced the first galaxies. That is a real breakthrough in our understanding of the origin of structure." - ScienceWatch: "What's Hot in Physics", Simon Mitton, Mar./Apr. 2008
8. WMAP has started to sort through the possibilities of what transpired in the first trillionth of a trillionth of a second, ruling out well-known textbook models for the first time.
9. The statistical properties of the CMB fluctuations measured by WMAP appear "random"; however, there are several hints of possible deviations from simple randomness that are still being assessed. Significant deviations would be a very important signature of new physics in the early universe.
10. Since 2000, the three most highly cited papers in all of physics and astronomy are WMAP scientific papers.

Nearly 400 years after Galileo first observed the heavens through a telescope, we continue to seek answers to age-old questions about the universe. And while the technology has evolved over the centuries, the inquiry remains essentially the same: What's out there, where did it come from, and what does it mean?

Since its launch on July 23, 1999, the Chandra X-ray Observatory has been NASA's flagship mission for X-ray astronomy, taking its place in the fleet of "Great Observatories."

Guion “Guy” Bluford, Jr. (born November 22, 1942), is an engineer, retired Colonel from the United States Air Force and a former NASA Astronaut. He participated in four Space Shuttle flights between 1983 and 1992. In 1983, as a member of the crew of the space shuttle Challenger on mission STS-8, Bluford became the first African American in space, and the second person of African ancestry, after the Cuban cosmonaut Arnaldo Tamayo Méndez.

The International Space Station (ISS) is an internationally developed research facility that is being assembled in low Earth orbit. On-orbit construction of the station began in 1998 and is scheduled for completion by late 2011. The station is expected to remain in operation until at least 2015, and likely 2020. With a greater cross-sectional area than that of any previous space station, the ISS can be seen from Earth with the naked eye, and is by far the largest artificial satellite that has ever orbited Earth. The ISS serves as a research laboratory that has a microgravity environment in which crews conduct experiments in biology, chemistry, medicine, physiology and physics, as well as astronomical and meteorological The station provides a unique environment for the testing of the spacecraft systems that will be required for missions to the Moon and Mars. The ISS is operated by Expedition crews of six astronauts and cosmonauts, with the station programme maintaining an uninterrupted human presence in space since the launch of Expedition 1 on 31 October 2000, a total of 10 years and 125 days. The programme thus holds the current record for the longest uninterrupted human presence in space, surpassing the previous record of 3,644 days, set aboard Mir.As of 27 February 2011, the crew of Expedition 26 is aboard. observations.&0000000000000010000000&0000000000000125000000 (2011 -02-27)^[update]

The ISS is a synthesis of several space station projects that include the American Freedom, the Soviet/Russian Mir-2, the European Columbus and the Japanese Kibō. Budget constraints led to the merger of these projects into a single multi-national programme. The ISS project began in 1994 with the Shuttle-Mir programme,and the first module of the station, Zarya, was launched in 1998 by Russia. Assembly continues, as pressurised modules, external trusses, and other components are launched by American space shuttles, Russian Proton rockets and Russian Soyuz rockets. As of March 2011, the station consists of fifteen pressurised modules and an extensive integrated truss structure (ITS). Power is provided by sixteen solar arrays mounted on the external truss, in addition to four smaller arrays on the Russian modules.maintained at an orbit between 278 km (173 mi) and 460 km (286 mi) altitude, and travels at an average speed of 27,743.8 km/h (17,239.2 mph), completing 15.7 orbits per day. The station is^[update]

Operated as a joint project between the five participant space agencies, the station's sections are controlled by mission control centres on the ground operated by the American National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the European Space Agency (ESA), the Russian Federal Space Agency (ROSCOSMOS), the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA). The ownership and use of the space station is established in intergovernmental treaties and agreements that allow the Russian Federation to retain full ownership of its own modules in the Russian Orbital Segment, with the US Orbital Segment, the remainder of the station, allocated between the other international partners. The cost of the station has been estimated by ESA as €100 billion over 30 years; estimates range from 35 to 160 billion US dollars. The financing, research capabilities and technical design of the ISS programme have been criticised because of the high cost.The station is serviced by Soyuz spacecraft, Progress spacecraft, space shuttles, the Automated Transfer Vehicle and the H-II Transfer Vehicle, and has been visited by astronauts and cosmonauts from 15 different nations.

An Orlan space suit (Russian: Орлан meaning sea eagle) is a series of semi-rigid one-piece space suit models designed and built by NPP Zvezda. They have been used for spacewalks (EVAs) in the Russian space program, the successor to the Soviet space program, and by space programs of other countries including the Chinese space program and NASA.

Discovery (OV-103), the third of NASA's fleet of reusable, winged spaceships, arrived at Kennedy Space Center in November 1983. It was launched on its first mission, flight 41-D, on August 30, 1984. It carried aloft three communications satellites for deployment by its astronaut crew. Other Discovery milestones include the deployment of the Hubble Space Telescope on mission STS-31 in April 1990, the launching of the Ulysses spacecraft to explore the sun's polar regions on mission STS-41 in October of that year and the deployment of the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS) in September 1991.
Discovery is named for two famous sailing ships; one sailed by Henry Hudson in 1610-11 to search for a northwest passage between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, and the other by James Cook on a voyage during which he discovered the Hawaiian Islands.

The Grumman X-29 was an experimental aircraft that tested a forward-swept wing, canard control surfaces, and other novel aircraft technologies. The aerodynamic instability of this arrangement increased agility but required the use of computerized fly-by-wire control. Composite materials were used to control the aeroelastic divergent twisting experienced by forward-swept wings, also reducing the weight. The X-29 first flew in 1984 and two X-29s were flight tested over the next decade.

Flight Simulator For Space Shuttle



The Saturn V (pronounced "Saturn Five") was an American expendable man-rated rocket used by NASA's Apollo and Skylab programs from 1967 until 1973. A multistage liquid-fueled booster, NASA launched 13 Saturn Vs from the Kennedy Space Center, Florida with no loss of crew or payload. It remains the largest and most powerful launch vehicle ever brought to operational status from a height, weight and payload standpoint.
The largest production model of the Saturn family of rockets, the Saturn V was designed under the direction of Wernher von Braun and Arthur Rudolph at the Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, with Boeing, North American Aviation, Douglas Aircraft Company, and IBM as the lead contractors. Von Braun's design was based in part on his work on the Aggregate series of rockets, especially the A-10, A-11, and A-12, in Germany during World War

The Lunar Roving Vehicle (LRV) was a battery-powered four-wheeled rover used on the Moon during the last three missions of the American Apollo program (15, 16, and 17) during 1971 and 1972. It was popularly known as the moon buggy, a play on the phrase "dune buggy".



Apollo 11 was the spaceflight that landed the first humans on Earth's Moon on July 20, 1969. The mission, carried out by the United States, is considered a major accomplishment in the history of exploration and represented a victory for the United States in the Cold War Space Race with the Soviet Union.
Launched from Florida on July 16, the third lunar mission of NASA's Apollo program (and the only G-type mission) was crewed by Commander Neil Alden Armstrong, Command Module Pilot Michael Collins, and Lunar Module Pilot Edwin Eugene "Buzz" Aldrin, Jr. On July 20, Armstrong and Aldrin landed in the Sea of Tranquility and on July 21 became the first humans to walk on the Moon. Their landing craft, Eagle, spent 21 hours and 31 minutes on the lunar surface while Collins orbited above in the command ship, Columbia.^[ The three astronauts returned to Earth with 47.5 pounds (21.5 kg) of lunar rocks and landed in the Pacific Ocean on July 24.
Apollo 11 fulfilled U.S. President John F. Kennedy's goal of reaching the moon before the Soviet Union by the end of the 1960s, which he had expressed during a 1961 mission statement before the United States Congress: "I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the Moon and returning him safely to the Earth."
Five additional Apollo missions landed on the Moon from 1969–1972.



Bud Light Spirit of Freedom Capsule
First Solo Flight Around the World by Balloon


Steve Fossett, an adventurous, Chicago-based aviator, launched the Bud Light Spirit of Freedom balloon from Northam, Australia, on June 19, 2002. Fourteen days and 19 hours later, on July 4, he landed in Queensland, Australia, to become the first person to make a solo flight around the world in a balloon. During the trip he traveled 32,963 kilometers (20,385 miles), reached speeds of up to 322 kilometers (204 miles) per hour, and flew as high as 10,580 meters (34,700 feet).


The Bud Light Spirit of Freedom balloon was a combination helium and hot-air design called a Roziere, in honor of Pilâtre de Rozier, who made the first manned balloon flight in 1783. It was designed by Donald Cameron of Cameron Balloons Ltd. of Bristol, England. Thirty-eight tanks of propane and ethane fuel hanging beside the capsule fed the burners on top, which heated the air which in turn warmed the helium to increase lift. Fossett steered the balloon by ascending or descending to find a wind blowing in the right direction. The balloon was fitted with the Comstock Autopilot, which automatically fired the burners to maintain a constant altitude and to allow Fossett to sleep.


Tim Cole, Project Manager for the flight, designed and built the gondola, an unpressurized cube constructed of a lightweight composite of Kevlar and carbon, with a plastic bubble hatch on top. Lithium batteries powered the electronic equipment. A custom designed heater kept the temperature inside the capsule at 4-21 C (40-70 F).


The satellite-based Global Positioning System provided the precise location of the balloon during the flight. Communication between Fossett and Mission Control at Washington University in St. Louis was by means of the Inmarsat C satellite system, with a satellite telephone as a backup. Fossett also had radios for communicating with air traffic controllers and with other aircraft. The gondola was equipped with an Emergency Position Indicating Rescue Beacon (EPIRB) to assist search and rescue efforts.


Living in a space the size of a closet for over two weeks was not easy. For much of the flight Fossett cruised at over 8,000 meters (26,240 feet) and breathed oxygen from a liquid oxygen system. The gondola was equipped with a bench and a sleeping bag. Fossett averaged three hours of sleep a day, usually in the form of cat naps lasting 45 minutes or less. He ate military rations called MREs ("meals ready to eat"). The MRE's were heated with chemical heat packs, which were activated by adding water.


The flight was Fossett's sixth solo attempt since 1996 to achieve this extraordinarily difficult goal. On one of those flights, in August, 1998, he plunged 8900 meters (29,192 feet) into the Coral Sea when his balloon ruptured in a thunderstorm. He was rescued after 23 hours in a life raft.
In finally achieving his goal, Steve Fossett demonstrated perseverance, determination, courage, and great skill in the air. He expressed the hope that his success would inspire others to "try and achieve something important to them."

Launched on November 11, 1935, from the Stratobowl near Rapid City, South Dakota, Explorer II carried Captain Albert Stevens, Captain Orvil Anderson, and an assortment of instruments to a world record altitude of 22,066 kilometers (72,395 feet).

Manfred Albrecht Freiherr von Richthofen (2 May 1892 – 21 April 1918), widely known as the Red Baron, was a German fighter pilot with the Imperial German Army Air Service (Luftstreitkräfte) during World War I. He is considered the ace-of-aces of that war, being officially credited with 80 air combat victories, more than any other pilot.
Originally a cavalryman, Richthofen transferred to the Air Service in 1915, becoming one of the first members of Jasta 2 in 1916. He quickly distinguished himself as a fighter pilot, and during 1917 became leader of Jasta 11 and then the larger unit Jagdgeschwader 1 (better known as the "Flying Circus"). By 1918 he was regarded as a national hero in Germany, and was very well known by the other side.
Richthofen was shot down and killed near Amiens on 21 April 1918. There has been considerable discussion and debate regarding aspects of his career, especially the circumstances of his death. He remains very possibly the most widely known fighter pilot of all time, and has been the subject of many books and films.

On Oct. 26, 1925, U.S. Army Lt. James H. Doolittle flew the Curtiss R3C-2 to victory in the Schneider Trophy Race with an average speed of 374 km/h (232.17 mph). The next day he flew the R3C-2 over a straight course at a world-record speed of 395 km/h (245.7 mph). In the Schneider Trophy Race of Nov. 13, 1926, this same airplane piloted by Lt. Christian F. Schilt, USMC, and piloted by an improved engine, won second place with an average speed of 372 km/h (231.4 mph).

WW II bomber suit with oxygen mask for high altitude bombing.

The aviation wings of a U.S Army Air Forces Glider Pilot, 1942

The aviation wings of a U.S Army Air Forces Flight Surgeon, 1943.

USS Enterprise (CVN-65), formerly CVA(N)-65, is the world's first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier and the eighth US naval vessel to bear the name. Like her predecessor of World War II fame, she is nicknamed the "Big E". At 1,123 ft (342 m), she is the longest naval vessel in the world. Her 93,284 long tons (94,781 t) displacement ranks her as the 11th-heaviest supercarrier, after the 10 carriers of the Nimitz class.
The only ship of her class, Enterprise is the second-oldest vessel in commission in the United States Navy, after the wooden-hulled, three-masted frigate USS Constitution. She was originally scheduled for decommissioning in 2014 or 2015, depending on the life of her reactors and completion of her replacement, USS Gerald R. Ford. But the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2010 slated the ship's retirement for 2013, when she will have served for 51 consecutive years, the most of any U.S. aircraft carrier.
As of September 2010, Enterprise's home port is at Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia. She has one more deployment before her decommissioning. The 22nd and current commanding officer of Enterprise is Capt. Dee Mewbourne, who assumed command on January 4, 2011, from Capt. O. P. Honors who was relieved of command by Adm. John C. Harvey Jr., Commander, United States Fleet Forces Command (USFFC), for "demonstrating poor judgment while serving as executive officer of that ship."

Boeing Defense, Space & Security's Phantom Works group is an integrated team that works with the three BDS Businesses to help them develop advanced cross-cutting concepts and technologies to respond to evolving needs of customers and to address potential new markets. The unit includes advanced programs, pursues new business and executes new programs prior to their reaching the System Design and Development phase. In close collaboration with Boeing Research & Technology, Boeing's advanced research and development unit, Phantom Works develops and transitions advanced programs into the IDS business areas and ultimately to BDS' defense and space customers.

The Boeing 747 is a widebody commercial airliner and cargo transport, often referred to by the nickname Jumbo Jet^[4][5]Queen of the Skies. It is among the world's most recognizable aircrafand was the first widebody ever produced. Manufactured by Boeing's Commercial Airplane unit in the United States, the original version of the 747 was two and a half times the size of the Boeing 707, one of the common large commercial aircraft of the 1960s. First flown commercially in 1970, the 747 held the passenger capacity record for 37 years. or
The four-engine 747 uses a double deck configuration for part of its length. It is available in passenger, freighter and other versions. Boeing designed the 747's hump-like upper deck to serve as a first class lounge or (as is the general rule today) extra seating, and to allow the aircraft to be easily converted to a cargo carrier by removing seats and installing a front cargo door. Boeing did so because the company expected supersonic airliners (whose development was announced in the early 1960s) to render the 747 and other subsonic airliners obsolete; while believing that the demand for subsonic cargo aircraft would be robust into the future.The 747 in particular was expected to become obsolete after 400 were sold As of June 2010, 1,418 aircraft have been built, with 109 more in various configurations remaining on order. but it exceeded its critics' expectations with production passing the 1,000 mark in 1993.
The 747-400, the latest version in service, is among the fastest airliners in service with a high-subsonic cruise speed of Mach 0.85–0.855 (up to 570 mph, 920 km/h). It has an intercontinental range of 7,260 nautical miles (8,350 mi or 13,450 km).The 747-400 passenger version can accommodate 416 passengers in a typical three-class layout or 524 passengers in a typical two-class layout. The newest version of the aircraft, the 747-8, is in production and flight testing in late 2010. Deliveries of the 747-8F freighter version are scheduled to begin in mid-2011, with the 747-8I passenger version to follow in late 2011. The 747 is to be replaced by the Boeing Y3 (part of the Boeing Yellowstone Project) in the future.

Breitling Orbiter 3 was the first balloon to fly around the world non-stop, piloted by Bertrand Piccard and Brian Jones. Designed and built by Cameron Balloons, of Bristol, England, Breitling Orbiter 3 stood 55 m (180 ft) tall when fully inflated. The propane gas that fueled the six burners was contained in 28 titanium cylinders mounted in two rows along the sides of the gondola. Concerned about fuel consumption, the team added four additional propane containers prior to take-off; these additional four tanks were needed to complete the trip.
The gondola is located at the National Air and Space Museum, on display in the Milestones of Flight Gallery, while the envelope was displayed at the Gasometer Oberhausen from 2004-2006.