Issue 4 | Volume 151 | February 11, 2019
theavion.com | (386) 226-6049
A Campus B Industry & Technolgy C Entertainment
National Air and Space Museum Director Visits ERAU
Rajan Khanna/The Avion Newspaper
On Feb. 4, in the first Embry-Riddle Speaker Series event of the spring semester, Dr. Ellen Stofan, director of the National Air and Space Museum, discussed the extensive renovations that are taking place at the museum and gave her thoughts on the future of space exploration. The museum, located on the National Mall and near Dulles Airport in Washington D.C., is one of the most visited museums in the country with an average of eight million people attending each year. It was a privilege to have a premier planetary scientist on campus to talk about the two most significant student interests at this university: air and space technology. Dr. Stofan became the director of the museum on April 18, 2018, and is the first woman to hold the position since the founding of the museum in 1976. She is a planetary geologist by training and was the Chief Scientist of NASA between 2013 and 2016, under the administration of former astronaut Charles Bolden. Dr. Stofan contributed to both the Cassini mission to Saturn and the European Mars Express orbiter. She has a particular interest in Titan, the largest moon of Saturn, as it is one of the few locations in the
solar system besides the Earth that may harbor some form of life. Dr. Stofan also was the leading investigator of the Titan Mare Explorer concept, which proposed sending a lander to Titan that would float on a lake on the surface and search for life. Although the mission was defeated by what is now the Europa Clipper spacecraft, Dr. Stofan is a scientist on a new Titan mission concept that could be selected for launch by NASA this summer. The National Air and Space Museum tells the story of air and space technology, with artifacts ranging in time from the Wright Flyer to the Apollo lunar lander to the F-35 fighter jet. The Speaker Series event began with a beautiful video announcing the museum’s planned seven-year renovation and its mission to “ignite tomorrow.” Despite the renovations, the museum will never fully close; the west side of the museum will be renovated before the east side. The museum is open every day of the year except Christmas day. Dr. Stofan said the renovations are designed to adapt the existing exhibits to 21st-century audiences and share new stories from the history of air and space technology. The original air conditioning system will also be replaced, which will ensure a more comfortable ex-
perience for guests and the preservation of artifacts such as the Wright Flyer and the Spirit of St. Louis for generations to come. Neil Armstrong’s suit that he wore on the surface of the Moon is currently being restored and will be put back on display in July.
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The National Air and Space Museum is preserving air and space exploration history for generations to come, and the renovations are critical to achieving this goal.
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Micheal Weinhoffer Senior Reporter
Dr. Stofan also wants to get an ISS suit for the museum, but NASA frequently repairs and reuses old uniforms, so obtaining a spare suit a challenge. The museum is also in the process of digitizing printed materials that are currently in the archives of the museum. The renovated museum will include a Saturn V F-1 engine retrieved from the ocean floor by Jeff Bezos and an exhibit on innovation in air and space exploration. As Dr. Stofan said, the National Air and Space Museum is preserving air and space exploration history for generations to come, and the renovations are critical to
achieving this goal. In a single lifetime, humankind went from flying a few feet above the ground at Kitty Hawk to landing men on the Moon again and again. The museum tells this story of the past and inspires everyone about the future. The Speaker Series event was a great opportunity to not only learn about the history and future of the museum but also be inspired by the future potential of two dynamic and interconnected fields.
Museum Factoids •• The National Air and Space Museum is the largest of 19 museums included in the Smithsonian Institution. •• The Smithsonian’s aeronautical collection began in 1876 when a group of kites was acquired from the Chinese Imperial Commission. •• In 1966, law was signed that changed the name of the National Air Museum to the National Air and Space Museum to memorialize the development of both aviation and spaceflight. •• Today, the National Air and Space Museum is one of the most visited museums in the world.ht. •• The Museum remains the preeminent American institution for memorializing flight, and for collecting, preserving, and presenting aviation and space technology.
All facts provided by Smithsonian