The DC Traveler » National-Air-&-Space-Museum http://www.thedctraveler.com A Washington DC insider's travel guide that's full of area information for both tourists and residents. Covers area attractions, activities, events, nightlife, memorials and monuments, historic sites, museums, the Smithsonian... Tue, 08 Sep 2009 18:17:43 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 en hourly 1 A Spy Plane fit for James Bond http://www.thedctraveler.com/2006/11/a-spy-plane-fit-for-james-bond/ http://www.thedctraveler.com/2006/11/a-spy-plane-fit-for-james-bond/#comments Sun, 26 Nov 2006 11:55:29 +0000 http://www.thedctraveler.com/a-spy-plane-fit-for-james-bond/ Post from: The DC Traveler

]]> Unofficially known as the “Blackbird“, the titanium-skinned Lockheed SR-71 long-range reconnaissance aircraft was in operation by the U.S. from the 1960s until 1990.

The SR-71 was the world’s fastest and highest flying aircraft in history. At altitudes around 80,000 feet, it reached speeds in excess of Mach 3 (2000 mph).  In 1976, it set a record of almost 2,200 mph at a record-breaking altitude of just over 85,000 feet (16 miles).

Washington DC - National Air & Space Museum, Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird photo

To provide an idea of the incredible speed the Blackbrid was capable of, a trans-Atlantic flight in a typical Boeing 747 took approximately 6 hours and the same trip on the supersonic Concorde took about 3½ hours. The SR 71 Blackbird covered the same distance in only 64 minutes.

The Blackbird is on display along with many other aircraft including the B-29 “Enola Gay” that dropped the first atomic bomb to end World War II, the Space Shuttle Enterprise, a Learjet 23, a P-51 Mustang, Mig 15 and a Concorde.

National Air & Space Museum, Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center
14390 Air and Space Museum Parkway
Chantilly, Virginia 20151

Hours
10:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. daily

Admission is free, but parking is $12.00 per car.

Participate in the James Bond poll ———->
Last chance to participate in the best actor who played James Bond poll. Vote today.

Post from: The DC Traveler

]]> http://www.thedctraveler.com/2006/11/a-spy-plane-fit-for-james-bond/feed/ 1 The Cold War Spy Plane – The Lockheed U-2 http://www.thedctraveler.com/2006/11/the-cold-war-spy-plane-the-lockheed-u-2/ http://www.thedctraveler.com/2006/11/the-cold-war-spy-plane-the-lockheed-u-2/#comments Fri, 24 Nov 2006 11:00:49 +0000 http://www.thedctraveler.com/the-cold-war-spy-plane-the-lockheed-u-2/ Post from: The DC Traveler

]]> Washington DC - National Air & Space Museum - U-2 Spy Plane photoThe U-2 spy plane was used extensively by the U.S. starting in the 1950s and continue to play a role during the Vietnam War.

The U-2 is famous for being flown over Cuba in 1962 during regular reconnaissance missions.  In early fall of 1962, they photographed Soviet nuclear missiles being deployed and erected, which led to the October Cuban missile crisis.

Washington DC - Cubian Missle Crisis map

In 1962 1960, during a spy mission over Soviet airspace, a U-2 piloted by Gary Powers was shot down over Soviet airspace by a surface-to-air missile.  He was convicted of espionage by the Soviets and sentenced to three years in prison and seven years of hard labor.  After 21 months of imprisonment, he was exchanged for a KGB colonel who, after setting up an art gallery in Brooklyn as a front for spying and recruiting agents, was captured by the FBI and convicted of espionage.

National Air & Space Museum
Independence Ave at 4th Street, SW
Washington, DC 20560

Hours
10:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. daily

Admission is free

Parking
Parking in the mall area can be challenging, however metered spaces turn over frequently.

Don’t miss your chance to participate in the Bond poll at the right. Vote for your favorite actor who played James Bond. ————————————->

Cuba map source: National Security Archive

Post from: The DC Traveler

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