Air and Space Museum

In addition to exploring cities I travel to for work, I vowed to visit (and in some cases revisit) places in the city I currently call home: Washington D.C.

This Saturday, January 28th, a friend of mine mentioned his brother was spending the weekend with him and wanted to check out some of the sights our nation’s capital had to offer. I excitedly offered to join and the three of us headed to the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum.

I thoroughly enjoyed spending some time reconsidering the various scientific facts of time and space and reexamining the many historical artifacts this museum holds.

The highlight for me was rediscovering the X-15 plane (pictured below). The program that helped get this airplane in the sky was conducted by NASA, the Air Force and the Navy. During the 10 years in which it flew, it set the unofficial speed and altitude records of 4,520 mph (Mach 6.7) and 354,200 feet.

Because of the large fuel consumption of its rocket engine, the X-15 was air launched from a B-52 aircraft at about 45,000 feet and speeds upward of 500 mph.

This trip reminded me of the amazing technological advancements we’ve made and the pivotal role science plays in our society. We mustn’t forget the value of evidence-based research when making decisions about the universe around us.