Meteor shower tonight

The Oronid meteor shower should be spectacular tonight and tomorrow early morning, if we get a bit of a break from the cloud cover.  

NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Visitor Center

 Not far off 295, I-95, and I-495, in the land of parking lots and office parks, lies a gateway to the final frontier - the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center.  Though most of Goddard is off limits to the public, they have a lovely Visitor Center that's perfect for an afternoon or morning excursion - and despite its small size is high on our list of favorite places for the toddler set - and despite it's lack of a playroom, the play area and the rocket garden, I would classify the Visitor Center as one of the top play areas for the (well-supervised) preschooler in the D.C. area.

The inside of the Visitor Center houses a number of exhibits about NASA and space exploration.  The area is currently under reconstruction, so things are changing.  There are a number of cool interactive displays that are surprisingly (well-supervised) kid friendly.  The curator has done a magnificent job at explaining ideas in simple English rather than jargon.  I also give thanks for my smart phone since the exhibits always prompt more questions - and it's been a dozen years since I took a science class.  

Of particular interest are the models of NASA's various manned and unmanned space craft.  Though the shuttle seems as retro to ChaseKBH's cohort as the Gemini capsule seems to our generation.  My  first and most vivid childhood memory was standing at the edge of the roadway, watching a 747 carrying a space shuttle on its back.  I remember my Dad explaining how the shuttle could fly into space, but couldn't fly cross-country.  I think I was also promised a flying car and tourism to the moon, but I digress.

But the draws of the Visitor Center are more the mere models of spacecraft.  On our three trips ChaseKBH has learned about the Big Bang, the colors and noise of space, and how very, very small the Earth really is in the great cosmos.  We've also learned a lot about tsunamis and global warming from the science on a sphere presentations in the theater - I can't wait until he's old enough to attend lectures from people who can answer his questions a whole lot better than I can.

Of course the favorite exhibit is the model of a Gemini capsule which visitors can climb into and marvel at the tight space.  The Big Bang seems totally plausible compared to the idea that any person could spend two weeks in this tiny space without any comforts whatsoever. We had to explain why there was no video screens, nothing that ChaseKBH would consider a computer, no touch pads, no keys, and none of the basic technology the kid takes for granted every day.

The rocket garden outside houses some fantastic pieces.  It's also a nice outdoor space where small people can wiggle - and it's very stroller accessible.  On the first Sunday of the month, rockets are launched in the rocket garden.  It's a nice history of the American space program.  However, its rather difficult to explain the history of the space program in the context of the Cold War to people who post-date communism, have never lived a day without a major military operation, and who fear acts of terror rather than nuclear holocaust.  

 The play area is fantastic, if small.  There is a crate of space related toys, books, and puzzles.  And most importantly, space helmets.    You simply cannot properly pretend to be an astronaut visiting Mars then flying through Jupiter without a helmet. There is of course also a gift shop where more toys can be purchased - and one that has lightened my purse considerably.

As children both Jamie and I had a fascination with space and astronauts - but I think we were the exception.  Somehow the excitement of the space program skipped our generation.  I think ChaseKBH's generation will pick up our slack.  Almost every morning that I drop him off at preschool some child excitedly tells me what s/he saw from Curiosity that morning, what to do when going to Mars, or how things fall around the Earth without falling into it.  If the moon is mentioned, a good handful follows up and asks to which planet's moon the ignorant grownup refers.  They also have a wonder about how the world works that I can't remember having - they know that its their natural right to understand the entire universe as immediately as possible.

The New Space Airplane Museum

ChaseKBH's current favorite destination is the National Air and Space Museum Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center - or, as its called in our house, the "New Space Airplane Museum" and occasionally the "Space Airplane Museum at Dulles."  I try to remind ChaseKBH that the Udvar-Hazy Center predates him, but he seems to disbelieve me.

The Udvar-Hazy Center is a fantastic destination for a toddler -- there are cool planes and other large objects to look at, the space is large and fun to move around in, and there's a nice observation deck from which you can see takeoffs and landings at Dulles.  Though the Udvar-Hazy Center is part of the Smithsonian, and therefore admission is free, there is a parking charge of $15, and its hard not to drive to get there.  Its a bit of a hike, requiring travel on I-495 and the Dulles Toll Road, so we avoid weekday travel there if possible.

ChaseKBH likes to go up to the observation tower - its fairly short, but it gives a great view of takeoffs and landings at Dulles.  The windows are floor to ceiling so short people have a full view.  There's also a nice view of the Virginia countryside.  The observation deck and the floor below host an exhibit about air traffic control.  The tower closes before the rest of the building, and the lines can be rather long to get onto the tower elevator, so we either do the tower first or skip it entirely.  Strollers are not allowed on the elevator to the tower, but there is stroller parking at the entrance to the elevator.  http://airandspace.si.edu/visit/concessions/tower.cfm 



The Boeing Aviation Hanger houses aircraft ranging from the time of the Wright brothers to modern warplanes.  The McDonnell Space Hanger currently displays the space shuttle Discovery, as well as exhibits ranging from missiles to rockets and the containment trailer used by the Apollo 11 astronauts.  The space shuttle seems to be of particular interest to the parents walking around - particularly those of us in our early 30s to early 40s who remember the heyday of the shuttle program.  The kids seem more interested in the rockets than the space airplanes.