That airplane was a Boeing B-29 Superfortress bomber and was used to drop the world’s first atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan on August 6, 1945. We were finished with the space portion of the Hazy Center and I was anxious to see one of the most famous military aircraft in history – the Enola Gay. I should have posed with this unit as Richard Nixon was positioned near the window as he spoke with the astronauts onboard the USS Hornet. When the three Apollo 11 astronauts returned to Earth in 1969, they were quarantined in the MQF for 21 days. A view of the top portion of the space suit worn by Apollo 15 astronaut James Irwin while he walked on the surface of the Moon.
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The Gemini 7 space capsule that was flown in Earth orbit in December 1965 by Frank Borman and James Lovell.
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Also in the vicinity was a space suit worn on the surface of the Moon by Apollo 15 astronaut James Irwin as well as the Apollo 11 Mobile Quarantine Facility. Near the shuttle, we saw the Gemini 7 space capsule that was flown by Frank Borman and James Lovell in December of 1965. It was hard to leave the Shuttle Discovery, but there were a few more historic aircraft that we wanted to see before we headed back to D.C. Tom had to pose on a stairway in an effort to get the entire Space Shuttle Discovery into the frame. When my cameraman stood directly beneath the tail section of Discovery, it gave a better perspective of the orbiter’s actual size. The leading edge of Columbia’s left wing was damaged upon launch on Januand the orbiter was destroyed on re-entry on February 1, 2003. I spent some time thinking about the Columbia astronauts when we walked under the left wing of Discovery. It was on the left wing of Columbia where a suitcase-size chunk of foam insulation struck the orbiter and ultimately caused it to disintegrate upon re-entry killing all seven astronauts. At one point, when we stood near the left wing of Discovery, I thought about the shuttle Columbia. And how could I blame him? The Space Shuttle Discovery was amazing to see up-close, and we spent a lot of time walking on all sides of it. In this closeup view of Discovery, it’s easy to see some of the nearly 25,000 heat resistant tiles that covered the orbiter and protected it from the high temperatures of re-entry.Įven though I wasn’t photographed inside the Hazy Center, that didn’t stop Tom from posing alongside some of the famous air and space craft while Bob manned the camera. The view of the nose section of Discovery as seen from a viewing platform that was located above the front of the famed Space Shuttle.
#ENOLA GAY TAKE OFF POINT FULL#
As a matter of fact, Discovery spent a cumulative total of almost a full year in space. During Discovery’s 27 years of service, it had been launched and landed 39 times. When we learned more about the retired space ship, I was blown away even more. The top of my camera case was left open so I could see the exhibits and I was blown away by the sheer size of Space Shuttle Discovery. Once we were through the doors of the massive complex, we headed straight for the Space Shuttle. That complex was an annex to the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. Udvar-Hazy Center that was located near Chantilly, Virginia. Even though there was no plan of me being photographed near any of the exhibits, I was excited that I would see three historic aircraft: The Space Shuttle Discovery, the Enola Gay, and the Gemini 7 space capsule.
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The Udvar-Hazy Center was home to thousands of aircraft, as well as some famous space craft. Udvar-Hazy Center, an annex of the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum, at around 11:00am on July 19, 2014. After all, I had stood where no bobble head has ever dared to stand – on the grave of President John F. Following our visit to Arlington, my mind was racing during the 45-minute ride to Chantilly, Virginia.