Guest: Peter Westwick. Topics: This was a walking tour through the Huntington Library's "Blue Sky Metropolis: The Aerospace Century in Southern California" exhibit. You are invited to comment, ask questions, and discuss the Space Show program/guest(s) on the Space Show blog, http://thespaceshow.wordpress.com. Comments, questions, and any discussion must be relevant and applicable to Space Show programming. Transcripts of Space Show programs are not permitted without prior written consent from The Space Show (even if for personal use) & are a violation of the Space Show copyright. The Space Show/OGLF is now engaged in its annual fundraising drive. Please see and act upon our appeal at http://thespaceshow.wordpress.com/2011/11/21/space-show-2011-fundraisin…. Joining Mr. Westwick and me for this tour was Space Show friend Reda Anderson. To find out more about the exhibit, the Huntington hours of operation and more, visit www.huntington.org. To learn more about the Blue Sky exhibit, visit http://huntington.org/huntingtonlibrary_02.aspx?id=9892. Note that the exhibit runs through January 9, 2012. If you are in Southern California or will be there, this is a must see exhibit. We started our walking tour with Peter Westwick by discussing the large photograph welcoming visitors to the Blue Sky Metropolis exhibit. You can see this photo on the Blue Sky home page at the above link. Turning around in the entry hall, we saw an actual lunar R-18 rocket motor. As we entered the gallery, we quickly grasped the organization of the exhibit from Taking Flight: 1900-1920; The Golden Age of Aviation: 1920-1940; World War II; The Big Chill: The Early Cold War; From Aero to Space: The Space Race; Secrecy and Stealth: The Deep Cold War; and Coming Back to Earth: Post Cold War. Peter took us through each section in order and highlighted many of the photographs and documents during this one hour plus guided tour. Reda and I asked lots of questions, we pointed out items that caught our attention, and asked Peter to elaborate on them. At the end of the exhibit, there is information on launching the Falcon 9 from the Cape. They also have a model from JPL of the Explore 1, our first satellite. Additionally, there is a model of the original Hughes Syncon geo satellite. As we ended our tour with Peter, we inquired about the educational outreach efforts with students and others to learn about this important history. We talked about the California aerospace industry of today and my experience doing California Space Day with the former California Space Authority. I asked if any California elected representatives or their staff have visited the exhibit. I also made my usual plea for the need to educate our elected officials so they know the history and its relevance to our future. Again, I urge you to visit this exhibit if you can. Remember, it closes on January on 9th. Please post your comments and questions on The Space Show blog URL above. If you want to email Peter Westwick or Reda Anderson, send your note to me and I will forward it the person of your choice.
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The Space Show
