Balloon and Nuclear MuseumsMay 28, 2012
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| Yesterday we headed out to see a couple of local museums. Our first stops was the Albuquerque International Balloon Museum. The museum was filled with the history of ballooning both in the science and fun. One display was the balloon Strato Lab. A seven foot diameter steel ball with windows lifted by a balloon envelope ninety feet in diameter that held ten million cubic feet of gas. The balloon climbed to a altitude of 81,000 five times in 56, 57,58,59, and 61. Lifting science to the edge of space. Experiments included cosmic ray detection, space suit development, planetary research. The fun was a balloon simulator taking off and flying to a landing point. Behind the museum there is a large grass area for balloons to lift during fiesta in October. I asked how many balloons fly during the fiesta and he said they used to have a thousand but now the FAA has limited them to seven hundred fifty in just over an hour. We then headed downtown to visit the National Museum of Nuclear Science and History. It started with the history and the discovery of nuclear power. We then went into the war years in the pacific. Of course we all know the big change of the war was the dropping of the two nuclear weapons in Japan. The first was the Enola Gay on August 6th 1945 over Hiroshima. The B29 dropped "Little Boy" that exploded at an altitude of 1,500 feet. That attack did not end the war so on 9th of August we did it one more time. On that day another B29 the Bockscar dropped "Fat Man" that exploded on impact. The destruction was massive and the war was ended. Next stop was an antique shop on the way back so Debi could walk through and pick something up. Returning back to the trailer and spent the rest of the afternoon with Heidi and watch a little TV. The TV was on just in time to watch the golf tournament finish and NASCAR race. Then I put some steaks on the BBQ for diner. Today is laundry day and pack things up for our move tomorrow. The next post will be from Cortez Colorado. I posted lots of canyon pictures |
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