June 1 : Washington, DC. Is it already June?

I swear the bus was full, but I was the only non African-American on the bus. not even a caucasian.

Well if you were expecting DC to be some parade of pomp and glitziness, in some parts it is. paved paths line the various buildings around capitol hill, with a bunch of free Smithsonian museums to boot.

but there are parts of DC that do not reflect well on the city’s standing as the capitol of a nation. it’s just weird. new york seems more busling than this place.

anyway, first up was the national archives, where the originals of the declaration of independence and the bill of rights are held. FREE! not to mention utterly impressive. it just makes me wonder, is our constitution not much to shout about? why arent we setting up museums for our history for people to take note of?

National Archives, Washington DC.

Next up, the Smithsonian Air and Space museum. Housed alot of rare planes, but the real gems are in virginia. like A SPACE SHUTTLE. and a SR71. unfortunately no idea how to get to that airport in virginia. maybe i’ll ask someone tomorrow.

In this picture i would like to show you guys the reverse thrusters in a RR(Rolls Royce) engine. now when a plane lands everybody sees the flaps come up. does does create more drag to slow the plane down, but that’s like saying that you stop a car in a short distance by lowering the windows and putting your hand outside.

Reverse Thrusters, Smithsonian Air and Space Museum, Washington DC. You are looking at what is inside that “shell” engine pod that you are familiar with. Try to picture how the Left-to-Right flowing air gets directed out through the grille at the bottom. Those are angled slightly forward as well.

What really happens is, in an engine, the exhaust kinda closes and the side covering retracts to channel the air out the sides and slightly forward. to my non-sciency friends, directing the exhaust forward is like throwing a heavy ball forward and feeling yourself get pushed back. This explains the huge noise and vibrations you hear at landing. try to look out for the retracting shell the next time you fly. it’s not that hard to see.

personally, i find it amazing.

lastly, capitol hill, where congress takes place. didnt really go in, wasnt really interested anyway.

Birds In The House, Washington DC.

most exciting part of the day? talking to a family of chinese in the hostel. turns out that the daughter just graduated from harvard (WOW) and all that. they were playing some really chinese-y CCTV show on the tv though, which is kinda :S lol…

tomorrow’s my last day of sightseeing. can you believe it? Project APAD is actually ending.. sigh.

Lime Green Chair, Washington DC.

I might actually miss this country.