Electra-fying

RIVETING: This afternoon, we took a field trip down to The Museum of Flight. It's been too long since we've been there, and every time we're there it's a) enjoyable and b) we see something we've never seen before.

As soon as we walked in today, I noticed that the movie "Space Junk" was playing (in 3D!) in less than an hour. We bought tickets to see that (just $4 apiece), and then spent 50 minutes wandering about. We almost always head to the WWI and WWII wing, but today, we veered the other direction, heading for the Great Gallery, which we tend to visit least often. As we headed that way, I remembered that the Museum's recently-acquired Electra was now on display there.

We'd watched the gorgeous Electra fly in back on Sept. 20 of 2013.

How that silver bird gleamed in the sun!!!

It's one of only three of its kind still in existence, and this one has been restored to look just like it did when Amelia Earhart flew it on her final voyage.

Now, its wings are clipped and it's a museum piece. A super shiny museum piece.

It makes for an excellent mirror.

Here's CJ, studying a map of Amelia's final flight.

It's impossible to get a good shot of the whole plane, so here's an iso of part of her tail.

After the Electra, we made our way back to the refurbished theater. We were the only four in attendance for the 2:50 showing of "Space Junk."

If you don't care about anything ever getting off planet, this movie would not interest you in the least. If you are interested in spaceflight and exploration, you'd find it all extraordinarily unsettling. I won't go into great detail, instead, I'll just share the trailer (http://youtu.be/-hl28A9NfU4)

One of the major events the movie covered was the February 10, 2009, destruction of Cosmos 2251 & Iridium 33. It marked the first major collision of two satellites in Earth orbit. The operational Iridium satellite was destroyed, as was the non-working Cosmos. As a result of the collision, there are more than 100,000 pieces of debris in low Earth orbit (LEO). If you've seen the movie "Gravity," it gives you a good idea of just how awful space debris can be for those trying to work and live in LEO.

HAWKING: Everywhere you go in this town, the Seahawks are front and center. Such was the case on the way in to the Museum of Flight.

There are billboards next to the highway ...

(I couldn't help but notice the WA. state, King County and city logos on this billboard. Our tax dollars at work? I love me some 'Hawks but ...)

Even the place we stopped for linner (late lunch/early dinner) had some great signs out front. Here was its south side ...
                                        
and here was its north side.
                               
And for those of you who might only be listening to the narrative the national media is trying to write about Richard Sherman, check out this video and think again.
http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-films-presents/0ap2000000254372/NFL-Films-Presents-The-trash-talking-cornerback