
When I grow up, I wanna be an astronaut! I think most little boys growing up in the 70’s (like me) had thoughts such as this at some point. I have some faint childhood memories of the Apollo missions to the Moon, the later ones at least. Space exploration, rockets, and astronomy were all things that fascinated me in my youth. Stars, planets, and spaceships allowed me to dream up new adventures in my head much like Calvin, in the popular comic strip Calvin & Hobbes. So seeing the spaceships at the Smithsonian Institution, National Air &Space Museum in Washington D.C. was quite special for me. Once again I was getting lost in my thoughts and I was reminded of how I felt as a small boy with big dreams. One of my favourite topics to read about when I was a kid was astronomy, and for some time I thought that this is what I wanted to do with my life. Then again, I remember a certain fascination with the garbage truck and street washer trucks. So while I’m sure my mom would have been proud to have a scientist, astronomer as a son, I’ll venture a guess that she’s ok with the fact that I’m not picking up trash as a career. I guess photographer falls somewhere in the middle and that suits me just fine. Life is all about compromises, right?

The Space Shuttle Enterprise is located at the Smithsonian Institution National Air and Space Museum’s Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center annex, at Washington Dulles International Airport. Try saying that three times fast! There is also a smaller Air and Space Museum in the city of Washington D.C. that houses some very cool historic planes and spacecraft. I’ll post some photos from there in a future blog post. The Enterprise was the very first Space Shuttle, however it was never intended to go into space. When it was originally built, Enterprise had no engines or heat shields. It was constructed to be used in test flights in the atmosphere and not in orbit. When the Space Shuttle was conceived the intended name of the first shuttle was “Constitution”. Quite amazingly, the name was changed to “Enterprise”, when a massive write in campaign was launched by fans of the hit series Star Trek. I guess the lesson to be learned here is that, one should never underestimate the power of a campy tv show, and legions of it’s dorky fans. Ok, ok… I’ve seen every episode of Star Trek, I too was a dorky fan. :)

After returning from my month long road trip last week, I wondered which photo I’d showcase, to begin the series of images that I’ll be sharing here on my blog. Since I was in so many cities in the eastern USA, I wanted the image(s) to represent what the the whole United States represents in a positive way. The space program that Americans have supported for so long, has always been at the top of my list of things that are so typically, and proudly American. So it was an easy choice to go with this series of photographs of the Space Shuttle Enterprise. The hard part will be, which photograph to choose for the next post about the road trip.
I hope you enjoyed these photos, it’s a nice way to start presenting my memories from a great trip to Washington D.C., Atlanta, Saint Augustine, Savannah, Charleston, and New York City.
Enjoy more travel photos and stories:
To go into space would be the ultimate dream destination for me!!!
Proper sci-fi :) I wish I worked onboard this kinda plane, not old boring 737-800! Would be more fun!
Absolutely stunning photos of the shuttle and the entire hangar! You’ve really captured every detail in these brilliant shots. Had to laugh out loud when you referred to Star Trek fans as a bunch of dorks…LOL! I’m right there with you!
Have you been to Kennedy Space Center? As a fellow fan of astronomy, I strongly recommend it for you!
Thanks for sharing these up close and personal shots.
GREAT pics! I loooove them!
Epic.
Wow, fantastic pictures! I always wanted to go to Cape Canaveral to see a Space Shuttle, but I’ll keep in mind going there when I’m in the DC area! …not that I would come by there very often, but anyways… I wanted to be an astronaut too as a kid! (except from a few irrational phases where I wanted to be a firefighter ;) )
What a great set! I’ll have to try to get to the “new” Air and Space Museum sometime. Down at Space Center Houston, they only have pieces of shuttle hardware (though they are trying to get one of the decommissioned orbiters). They do, however, have a Saturn V which I don’t think you’ll find up in DC.
Stunning images Ken! Bravo! I remember watching the Apollo missions…yup.. I am little older now :) I also remember wanting to go into space and explore the final frontier… still do… second star to the right, and straight on till morning…
Awesome shots, looks futuristic!
Keep dreaming Andi and I’ll keep dreaming along with you!
–
CSFT, 737 doesn’t sound that boring to me, but yeah… Space Shuttle sound just a wee bit more thrilling ;)
–
Jeff, thank you! Now I’m more of a photo dork than a sci fi dork. But I still love reading about science and watching cosmology documentaries. I was so close to the Kennedy Space Center last month, but I think I’d need special permission to shoot there. Hopefully, one day I’ll be able to. Are you listening NASA? :)
–
Thanks Gaby! I love them too, they bring me back to my childhood dreams.
–
Thanks Dominic.
–
Johannes, I wish I could go to the last Space Shuttle launch. What a great opportunity to get some historic images. This will have to do though and I would recommend the Air & Space Museum to everyone, it is HUGE and full of so much history.
–
Dave, thank you. Great set of shots you did there of all those cool old Apollo mission components. Now THAT really brings me back :)
–
Carlos, what a great line! I wanna be a kid again!! As Shaw once said: Youth is wasted on the young ;)
–
Thank you Karolina, I can’t wait to see what the future brings in terms of the next generation of space ships.
–
Gorgeous pics! Take me to the Moon…
Indeed amazing images!
I love the photos and am looking to read more about your road trip, especially to Savannah, which is my hometown and I think a beautiful place to photograph for sure.
That first shot is absolutely stunning! Truly cool, Ken!
Great choice in photos. You are right, the space program was the perfect way to start off your series. As usual you capture images beautifully. I am always amazed with how your photos pop out of my screen with such vibrancy and clarity. I always enjoy coming back to your site to see what you will be posting next!
Great photo! The colors are so vibrant and you can see every detail. Amazing!
Great photos! If you don’t mind me asking, what camera are you using?
Laura, Thank you! As soon as I book my flight on the shuttle, I’ll take you on that trip to the Moon. Remember, patience is a virtue ;)
–
Dave and Deb, Thanks so much. Love your travel blog, it’s a must read for travelers!
–
Costa Rica, I use a Canon 1Ds mkIII. You can see it in the equipment page here on my blog.
–
Thanks everyone for the kind comments :)
Dramatic shots of the Enterprise. Here are some more WW2 aircraft museums.
Wonderful photos, The detail is amazing. I loved Star Trek.I think space travel was such an amazing and romantic idea in those days. Good to know this space museum is in Washington. May just get there to see it one day.
Ah, I’ve made it to the main Air and Space museum once (over a decade ago) but never out to the big annex – on my bucket list for sure. And I can well empathize with being a dorky Star Trek fan. Many happy memories. :-)
Beautiful photos, of course! It almost goes without saying.
choose the best partition recovery answer for you , please see the details info !