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ARTICOLI CORRELATI

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Hampton, Virginia

Alla scoperta della cittadina nel Sud degli Usa, dove è nato il programma spaziale americano. E’ qui che James Weaver ci porta nel suo nuovo viaggio a stelle e strisce.

Like much of the public, I’ve always associated the U.S. space program and NASA with Cape Kennedy, Florida, and the flight control center in Houston, Texas. After all, these locations are what the public sees on the television news.

It’s less well known, where the aerospace scientists and engineers developed the technology to make space exploration possible and where the astronauts train. Located in Hampton, Virginia, Langley Airforce Base is home to the National Institute of Aerospace (NIA) the research and development arm of the nation’s space program.

Here too is the Virginia Air & Space Center, a nine story 110,000 square foot facility, it cost $30 million to build and opened in 1992. The museum and education center features dozens of hands-on air and space exhibits.

A recently completed $9 million expansion created an aviation gallery with state-of-the-art interactive exhibits spanning on 100 years of flight with more than 30 historic aircraft, unique space flight artifacts and more. Over 100 interactive exhibits detail NASA’s historic achievements, many of which occurred here in Hampton. There’s also a five story high, 3-D IMAX theater for your enjoyment.

At the museum’s new Adventures in Flight gallery visitors can “wing walk” on a Jenny biplane, see a replica 1903 Wright Flyer, explore a DC-9 passenger jet, ride in a WW2 bomber, become an air traffic controller, sit in the cockpit of an F/A-22 fighter jet, pilot an airplane, and more. Here visitors can explore 100 years of Aviation history.

The expanded exhibit takes visitors from its origins to the future of flight and highlights Hampton’s role in commercial, civil and military aviation. Interactive exhibits allow you to discover the region’s many contributions to flight.

The replica of the 1903 Wright Brothers Flyer was the first in the nation to be completed for the Centennial of Flight. An accurate reproduction of the first powered flying machine, it is within 21 pounds of the original aircraft’s weight. There’s a ride experience unlike any other aboard a B-24 Liberator Simulator. Experience the sound and feel of a World War II bombing mission.

The commercial aviation exhibits offer a behind-the-scenes look at commercial air travel beginning with the giant AirTran Airways DC-9 that you can enter and explore. A Boeing 717 Simulator in the first-class cabin, allows pilots of all ages to try their hand at flying.

Museum visitors can also become an air traffic controller and learn to handle the toughest job at an airport. Real time data is displayed on an electronic map of North America showing all aircraft in flight. You’ll get a quick lesson in speaking like an air traffic controller as simple directions are transformed into code-like ATC slang.

You can even climb into the cockpit of an F/A-22 Raptor, the Air Force’s newest fighter jet, and learn more about the latest stealth technology used by the military.

One of the biggest draw in the Air Power at Sea exhibit is the interactive, scale model of the USS Ronald Reagan, the Navy’s newest aircraft carrier. This “floating city” allows visitors to see the inside of the famous carrier and learn about life at sea through a hands-on, high-tech ship scanner with LCD display.

Additional interactive exhibits include building an airplane and testing your engineering skills at the Paper Airplane Flight Lab. There’s even play area for young children called Little Wings where kids can build a plane, create their own airport, and climb into a cockpit to investigate flight. Just outside the museum entrance is the Hampton Carousel, a fully restored 1920 amusement park ride for all the family.

Visitors to the new Space Galley arrive on a Mars Transport Module, a three minute ride that simulates the eight month trip to the “Red Planet.” A number of interactive exhibits greet visitors, plus large screen video projections of fly overs of the moon and Mars, and actual space vehicles. A Mars Orbitor space craft hovers overhead. There’s also a Lunar Excursion Module Simulator where visitors can experience the thrill of a moon landing.

The next time you travel by plane or watch a space launch, remember Hampton, Virginia, home to Langley Airforce Base, NASA’s National Institute of Aerospace, and the Virginia Air & Space Center. Langley continues to explore new frontiers in aviation and space research as it has since 1917 when it was established as the nation’s first civilian aeronautics laboratory. Its mission and contributions to aerospace, atmospheric sciences, and technology have improved our lives in countless ways.

There are numerous other visitor attractions in Hampton area including the historic Jamestown Settlement (celebrating its 400th anniversary), Yorktown, and Colonial Williamsburg. When you visit Hampton, begin your trip by viewing www.hamptoncvb.com and www.virginia.org.

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