There… and back.

The next item, working my way around the building, is the Tram Tour, which takes an hour or so, but I’ve left my canteens in the car, the water fountain at the exit isn’t cooling… and it’s in the 90s with a 20-30 minute wait for the next tram. I get in line, but after about ten minutes I look at the map and realize where the entrance to the museum part of the exhibits is – (should’ve looked earlier, but) – and decide I’d rather do that than ride the tram. I’ll catch it next time.

Okay, from the map it looks like the “Starship Gallery theatre bypass” entrance is hidden back between the theatre and the “angry birds in space” kids’ section.

Right back… here. Yeah. Dark in here. Very dramatic lighting, good for viewing and great for museum preservation but hard for cameras. I love working with this stuff, though.

ISS/Shuttle display, first…. artifacts and exhibits. I’ve gone off thinking for a bit here, just enjoying the exhibits (and the cool) but when I see the little plastic velociraptor I have GOT to get a shot of that.

There’s a little plaque next to this guy. I won’t make you try to read it.

This toy dinosaur was flown on STS-65 to pay tribute to the shuttle mission simulator ‘Raptor Team.’ The Velociraptor represented the dramatic and devastating scenarios that the trainers would simulate for the astronauts during training. The success of NASA missions are largely attributed to extensive training before the flight.