After several days of being a bit hampered by my schedule on meds, diet and sleep, I made it to the Air and Space Museum.  It opens at 10 AM, I got to the steps at 9:45 and found a mild crowd, several hundred people, there already.  at 10 it opened, and all bags were checked as in an airport.  People like me without bags were waved through.  Fast process, although experienced families would shove a little kid into the line at the door, and then the entire family, sometimes 10 or 12 people, would follow.  I mean, you could leave the kid alone, could you?  Happened regularly.

The first thing I saw was Bert Rutan’s plane which flew around the world.  The whole thing.  Impressive.  Just a few feet farther along is a mockup of an Apollo command module, in a fform-fitting hard plastic case.  Get closer and read one of the plaques and it IS Columbia, the command module and return capsule for Collins, Armstrong and Aldrin.  One of the hatches has been taken off for a good view inside and there is a real Apollo command module cockpit elsewhere.  Not much room, no matter how much bigger they say it was compaared to previous type of capsules.

After a long while I moved to my left and encountered a bit of Moon rock, a slice, mounted so as to be able to touch it, which people were encouraged to do.  I looked around, then up, and so what appreared to be a superb replica of “The Spirit of St. Louis”.  Then you see the plaque – it IS “The Spirit of St. Louis”!

And it was like that.  Freedom 7 in a form-fitting hard plastic case, a cutaway of a lunar lander with the Apollo 17 landing audio and video continually playing, the sights and sounds of the lander.

Many interactive displays.  I tried landing on an aircraft carrier, trapped wire 5 once, was dismal in the other attempts though the displaywas small.

There’s too much to describe.  A book would give a flavor, but not the experience of being in a Skylab mockup, standing alongside a lunar lander or standing next to a Japanese “Zero”.

The crowd seemed to be about 1/3 Caucasian, many of whom did not speak English, 1/3 blacks and 1/3 Asian or Oriental.  I found that somewhat odd, as the exhibit was 95% about English-speaking Caucasian males.  There seemed to be no role for anyone else except for a plaque for the Tuskegee Airmen, a mention of Amelia Earhart, and some WAVE and early stewardess uniforms.

And admission is free.