Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum, Virginia

Right next to Dulles International Airport outside of Washington, D.C. is one of the Smithsonian Institute's nineteen (19) museums and galleries, nine research centers, 140 affiliated museums around the world, and  the National Zoological Park.  Today, two of America's space shuttles, the Discovery and the Enterprise, are together at Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum.  Yesterday, April 20th, they took the Enterprise out of the museum in order to put the Discovery in, and will be transporting the Enterprise piggy-back on it's 747 buddy elsewhere.  If we could have come then, we would have been able to photograph them nose-to-nose.

But then we wouldn't have been able to get a picture of the piggy-back operation.

Now, you may not like the clarity of this photo, but look at the distance John had to zoom in on in order to get it:

If you look at the top edge of the horizon, right in the center, just above the tree line... well, you'll have to trust me on this, but THAT'S where the piggy-back shuttle is!  I would have loved to have been on that plane arriving at Dulles - talk about a closer look:

Well, you'll have to come back tomorrow for amazing photos of the entire museum.  It is an absolutely spectacular place - unbelieveable, really - especially for free!  (Well, there was a $15 parking fee...), but this was the best part of John's CEU Cardiac Conference at the National Institute of Health trip!

The shuttles will both be there until Tuesday of this week, April 24 (maybe Wednesday...)