The images below are from my trip to the California Science Center. We went there during the recent Angkor Wat exhibit.

Shiva renounced the world.

Angkor from above

Flight brought a new perspective

In the 1920s, scientists began taking photos of Angkor from airplanes. They pieced together maps from their images. The aerial view highlighted the vast scale and complex structure of the cities. Archaeologists saw that the temples of Angkor represented a heaven on Earth. Here was a sacred geography - built from stone, water, and the land itself.

Destruction, rebirth, and wisdom

Shiva retreated from daily life to spend his time in meditation. At the end of each cosmic cycle, he destroyed the world. He is often seen performing a sacred dance above a great pyre. His third eye symbolizes wisdom. Images of Shiva also show him riding a bull with his wife, Parvati.

Their son Ganesha was beheaded but reborn with an elephant's head. He is still worshiped by Cambodians today. They call him Ganapati. Followers revere him because he removes obstacles in the path of their destinies. He represents wisdom and is the protector of writers.

Shiva is also still honored in Cambodia under the name Preah Isur. He is associated with magical practices.

A sacred geography

The mythical home of the gods was remade on Earth. Gods were believed to live among heaven's mountains and oceans. Temples resembled those peaks, and reservoirs symbolized the seas.

Kings ordered great expanses of land engineered to mimic the divine realm. Mount Meru, center of the world, was where the gods livedIts surrounding ranges and oceans inspired design on many levels.

In temples, towers represented mountain peaks. Terraces, passages, and stairways led to increasingly sacred spaces. Statues and patterns differentiated the everyday world from the divine.

And in cities, waterways mirrored cosmic seas. The empire was a symbolic landscape of water and mountains-as in heaven above.

Kings built temples for the gods and waterways for all.

Every great king added to the city's sacred sites and infrastructures. Most buma state temples and at least one mors, devoted to his ancestors. This explains the sheer Number of temples covered. Sometimes inscriptions tell us when and why they were built.

Rulers shaped vast quantities of land. They created and meats, reservoirs, and a sprawling network of canals. Tens of thousands of community ponds supplied households with water

The system was both symbolic and practical. Pools represented the oceans of the gods while supplying an essential resource. After each dry season, annual monsoon Med the structures with rainwater. This ensured year-round water for drinking cooking, bathing and agriculture

1- Antell-Miniature monument

Sandstone

Bantay Stel Siem Reap

Second half of 10th c.

National Museum of Cambodia

2 - Nino divinities

Sandstone

Kuk Roka. Kampong Thom 10th c

National Museum of Cambodia

3 - Aerial photo of Angkor

composition of photos

1930's

EFEO

An image of heaven on Earth

The empire of Angkor followed strict design guidelines. It was intentionally created in the image of Mount Meru, home of the gods. Angkor Wat's five towers echo Meru's five peaks. Temples, cities, and in fact the entire landscape symbolized the mountains and oceans of the divine world.

1 & 2 - Garuda on the naga

reproduction

3 - Lion

Sandstone

Kong Pisei, Kampong Speu

11th c (?)

National Museum of Cambodia

4 - Lion

Sandstone

Royal Palace, Angkor Thom, Siem Reap

Angkor period

National Museum of Cambodia

5 - Garuda guardian

Sandstone

Banteay Srei, Siem Reap

Second half of 10th c.

National Museum of Cambodia

6 - Monkey guardian

Sandstone Banteay Srei, Siem Reap

Second half of 10th c.

National Museum of Cambodia

A temple's most sacred spaces

Hindu temples often hosted several shrines for statues of the most important gods. Gates to these sacred spaces were adorned with sculptural elements and closed with doors of wood.

Important rituals took place inside the enclosed space of the shrine. Priests made offerings to the deities and took care of the statues. Scholars think that only a few designated people had access to these holiest of places.

1 & 5 - Shrine wall - Devata

Sandstone

Siem Reap region 12th c

Angkor Conservation Office

2 & 4 - Column

Sandstone

Siem Reap region 11th c. (?)

Angkor Conservation Office

3 - Lintel - Indra

Sandstone

Siem Reap region 10th c.

Angkor Conservation Office

Bayon

The Bayon temple, with its iconic faces on towers, was the central state temple of Angkor for centuries. It was renovated many times during this period, resulting in a uniquely intricate floor plan.

The Bayon is famous for its galleries of bas reliefs, which depict scenes from history, mythology, and the everyday life of the Khmer people.

Temples were built to divine code.

Gods of direction

There was a Hindu god to represent each direction. Their images were often placed at the corresponding sides of temples. These gods had other meanings as well. The deity who represented the south was also god of the dead. The South was therefore unlucky. Architects designed temple entrances to face east, for good fortune, instead.

The River of a Thousand Lingas

Life in ancient Angkor was governed by seasonal droughts and the annual monsoon. Because water management was critical, it was a feature of both spiritual and economic daily life. Images and symbols of Hindu gods were carved into the river bed and banks of the Kbal Spean - a tributary of the Siem Reap River in Northeastern Angkor. These include lingas representing Shiva and images of Vishnu reclining on a serpent. As the water passes over the sandstone carvings the deities bless the water to fertilize the fields downstream.

Meet the people

Ancient Angkor was home to a large, complex society

Halfway through the 20th century, science began to focus on the human aspect of Angkor. Scholars looked beyond the stones to find out what life was like for the Khmer people. Survival depended on collecting water and farming rice. Religious practice was also core to their way of life. Everyone had a role.

The linga : symbol of Shiva.

The linga represents the Hindu god Shiva's penis. This powerful Image appears in temples throughout Angkor, on pedestals.

Linga on snanadroni

Bronze, quartz, silver

Vart Po Veal Museum, Battambang 10th c- 13th c

National Museum of Cambodia

High society

The elites and the gods

Farming supported Angkor's large population and social hierarchy. A surplus of rice made trade possible. It also created a specialized class system.

While the Khmer Empire adopted Indian religions, they did not follow the same rigid social structure. Still, the society was quite class-conscious. The king and royal family were at the top. Next were the priests and wealthy landowners.

Priests were responsible for cosmic order, so their status was high. Entrusted to the care of the king and the gods, they were extremely close to the royal rulers.

Angkor in color

Pigments and metals once brightened the temples.

Today Angkor's ruins are mainly reddish brown or grey. The temples would have looked quite different in their day. Science shows that at least some parts of temples were brightly and colorfully decorated. Centuries later, the evidence is scarce. Yet archaeologists can see remnants of decorated plaster covering some temples. Traces of gold and colorful pigmentation remain. These would have depicted floral designs and scenes from mythology, just as in the carved stones that endure. Temples were also adorned with metal, textiles, and wood. While most of those materials have disappeared, we can see where they would have been mounted. In some bas-reliefs, images of the temples include metallic finials atop the shrines.

1 & 2 - Crampons

Iron

Panom Bathing. Angkor Siem Reap

Angkor period National Museum of Cambodia

2 - Crampon

Iron

Siem Reap region

Angkor period

National Museum of Cambodia

A large and varied workforce

Each temple was a massive undertaking. Ambitious projects began in the dry season when construction is easiest. Builders used simple levers and ramps. Engineers also developed machinery for shaping and placing stones. The skilled crew Included quarrymen, stonemasons, brick-makers, carpenters, rollers, sculptors, smelters, plasterers, and painters. They commanded armies of unskilled workers. Forced labor was probably used, although scholars debate the extent of slavery Primary materials were bricks, plaster, wood, and two types of stone. One was laterite, a reddish stone. The other was the familiar grey sandstone. This can be carved with fine details and was used for temples such as Angkor Wat.

1 - Roof-end tile

Stonewall

Unknown

11th c. - 12th c.

National Museum of Cambodia

2 - Roof-end tile

Stoneware

10th

Angkor, Siem Reap

National Museum of Cambodia

3 - Roof-end tile

Stoneware

11th c. - 12th c. (?)

Angkor Thom, Siem Reap

National Museum of Cambodia

4 - Roof-end tile

Stoneware

Angkor period (2)

Angkor Thom, Siem Reap (?)

National Museum of Cambodia

5 . Roof-end tile

Stoneware

11th c. (?)

Unknown

National Museum of Cambodia

The everyday world

Few artifacts from daily life

Immense stone architecture is only part of the story. For the most part, cities were made of materials that didn't last. Each urban core was surrounded by a landscape of farms and dwellings. Beyond the great stone temples, the stuff of everyday life was made from wood, bamboo, leather, silk, and cotton. Most of those objects vanished centuries ago. We are left with pottery to tell the story of ordinary people. Inscriptions, written by the elite class, reveal little about the lives of commoners. First-hand accounts are rare. The most detailed comes from Zhou Daguan, a Chinese diplomat who spent several months at Angkor in the late 13th century. We see scenes of daily life in the bas-reliefs of the Bayon temple : fishing, hunting, and preparing food.

Trade networks

The Khmer were importers and exporters of goods.

Texts describe trade between China and Cambodia. Bas-reliefs at the Bayon temple depict busy markets. From artifacts, we know that Angkor Imported a lot of Chinese porcelain. The Khmer Empire exported beeswax, kingfisher feathers, and forest products. It also supplied elephant tusks and rhinoceros horns. The ivory was highly valued. Metals and precious stones were traded within and beyond the empire. Goods were transported along river routes and the highway network.

Oil lamp

Earthenware

Unknown

Preah Pithu, Angkor Thom, Siem Reap

National Museum of Cambodia

The end of empire

From grandeur to decline

The Khmer Empire peaked in the 12th to 13th centuries. Then its capital fell on hard times. Greater Angkor had been home to over 700,000 people in an area as large as Los Angeles today. By the 19th century, it was just villages and ruins. Why? New science tells us that people probably migrated in waves. They left for many reasons. There was no single cause.

The last glorious king

Jayavarman VII ruled at the height of Angkor and built temples of ultimate glory.

Cambodia's greatest king was a devout Buddhist, strategic warlord, and ambitious builder.

King Jayavarman VII is still admired in Cambodia for his successes. He changed the state religion to Mahayana Buddhism. He conquered enemy invaders. And he built majestic temples that would never be equaled.

At the end of the 12th century, he began work on Angkor Thom. This is one of the most remarkable structures the world has ever seen. Surpassing all projects of previous kings, it was grander even than Angkor Wat.

However, trouble was already brewing. People of different faiths had lived in peace for centuries. Now they fought with each other.

Internal and external conflicts brought the beginning of the end.

The Khmer had been fighting with others for centuries. But feuding became extreme in its last few centuries. War broke out on the eastern and western borders. Attacked from both sides, the military would have been weakened.

Siam, in present-day Thailand, neighbored the empire. And armies from Siam sacked Angkor in 1431. Early scholars thought that invasion caused the capital's fall.

But recent research questions whether this event would have been so disastrous. The city had defended itself for hundreds of years. Why would it suddenly succumb?

The empire's sheer size was part of the problem. The vast region was home to people of many different faiths. Some quarreled about religion. Times were anything but stable.

Wrestlers

Sandstone

First half of 10th c.

Prasat Thom, Koh Ker, Preah Vihear

National Museum of Cambodia

Angkor in color

Pigments and metals once brightened the temples.

Today Angkor's ruins are mainly reddish brown or grey. The temples would have looked quite different in their day. Science shows that at least some parts of temples were brightly and colorfully decorated.

Centuries later, the evidence is scarce. Yet archaeologists can see remnants of decorated plaster covering some templesTraces of gold and colorful pigmentation remain. These would have depicted floral designs and scenes from mythology. Just as in the carved stones that endure.

Temples were also adorned with metal, textiles, and wood. While most of those materials have disappeared, we can see where they would have been mounted. In some bas-reliefs, images of the temples include metallic finials atop the shrines.

Trade networks

The Khmer were importers and exporters of goods.

Texts describe trade between China and Cambodia. Bas-reliefs at the Bayon temple depict busy markets. From artifacts, we know that Angkor Imported a lot of Chinese porcelain. The Khmer Empire exported beeswax, Kingfisher feathers, and forest products. It also supplied elephant tusks and rhinoceros horns. The ivory was highly valued. Metals and precious stones were traded within and beyond the empire. Goods were transported along river routes and the highway network

From grandeur to decline

The Khmer Empire peaked in the 12th to 13th centuries. Then its capital fell on hard times.

Greater Angkor had been home to over 700,000 people in an area as large as Los Angeles today. By the 19th century, it was just villages and ruins. Why?

New science tells us that people probably migrated in waves. They left for many reasons. There was no single cause.

The last glorious king

Jayavarman VII ruled at the height of Angkor and built temples of ultimate glory.

Cambodia's greatest king was a devout Buddhist, strategic warlord, and ambitious builder.

King Jayavarman VII is still admired in Cambodia for his successes. He changed the state religion to Mahayana Buddhism. He conquered enemy invaders. And he built majestic temples that would never be equaled.

At the end of the 12th century, he began work on Angkor Thom. This is one of the most remarkable structures the world has ever seen. Surpassing all projects of previous kings, it was grander even than Angkor Wat.

However, trouble was already brewing. People of different faiths had lived in peace for centuries. Now they fought with each other.

Internal and external conflicts brought the beginning of the end.

The Khmer had been fighting with others for centuries. But feuding became extreme in its last few centuries. War broke out on the eastern and western borders. Attacked from both sides, the military would have been weakened.

Siam, in present-day Thailand, neighbored the empire. And armies from Siam sacked Angkor in 1431. Early scholars thought that invasion caused the capital's fall.

But recent research questions whether this event would have been so disastrous. The city had defended itself for hundreds of years. Why would it suddenly succumb? The empire's sheer size was part of the problem. The vast region was home to people of many different faiths. Some quarreled about religion. Times were anything but stable.

Wrestlers

Sandstone

First half of 10th c.

Prasat Thom, Koh Ker, Preah Vihear

National Museum of Cambodia

A shortage of food and water made life hard.

Recent science suggests that Angkor's way of life was simply unsustainable. The empire had engineered its environment for centuries. Kings cut down forests and controlled the flow of water. Farming rice--the main crop-required significant hydration.

As Angkor declined in the 14th and 15th centuries, the climate was also changing. Tree ring data points to decade after decade of drought, broken by intense monsoons. Evidence shows that flooding damaged the hydraulic system. Without sufficient water, crops failed.

While these new theories have yet to be proven, one thing is now clear. Many factors contributed to the empire's slow demise. There was no sudden dramatic collapse-just problem upon problem.

Theravada Buddhism took root.

In the 15th century, the royals moved south. Angkor was still used as a site for worship, and Buddhists lived in the temples. Theravada Buddhism was becoming more dominant. The ancient Hindu temples of Angkor were even repurposed as Buddhist pagodas. It was a destination for international pilgrims who came from as far as Japan. Some left graffiti on the pillars. The religion was something like we see in Cambodia now. Buddhist statues from the time are similar to those of modern pagodas.

1 - Inscription in Arabic (K.1081)

Sandstone

Phnom Bakheng, Angkor, Siem Reap

16th c. (?)

National Museum of Cambodia

2 - Head of Buddha

Sandstone

Phnom Krom, Siem Reap

Post-Angkor period

National Museum of Cambodia

3 - Buddha on a stela (K.465)

Sandstone

Phnom Bakheng, Angkor, Siem Reap

16th c.

Angkor Conservation Office

Angkor after Angkor

A sacred site for pilgrimage

Angkor's fall did not mean the end for the Khmer people. Cambodia became increasingly connected to a wider world

From the 15th century onwards, Cambodian kings ruled mainly from further south. Yet for some time Angkor remained vibrant. It was internationally known as a religious center. Its temples drew pilgrims from far away. Then the 15th and 16th centuries saw maritime trade expand around the world. Cambodia's wealthy moved closer to new opportunities on the coast.

Meanwhile, conflict with Siam was endless. Angkor's population diminished. Gradually, the city was consumed by forests. By the 19th century, this vast metropolis had become just a few villages. And in them, lived the descendants of those who had built the grand temples.

Recovered objects solve puzzles of the past.

Decades ago, Cambodia created laws to protect its cultural heritage. Still, looting persists. Museums try to recover what was stolen. Curators and art historians do most of the detective work. They study archives to trace an object's origins and prove its theft.

Often the objects are damaged. To repair them, museum conservators sometimes use original pieces from other sources. Their work is like solving a three-dimensional puzzle.

Many stolen artifacts have already been returned. They are valuable clues to ancient history and preserve a heritage that would otherwise be lost. Scientists continue to find others and bring them home.

Together again in Phnom Penh

The Koh Ker temple complex is 50 miles from Angkor. It represents one of the high points of Angkorian art. There, Prasat Chen was home to a group of monolithic statues. They are masterpieces of Khmer sculpture. Nine statues were arranged inside the temple. They represented a scene from the sacred Hindu epic, the Mahabharata. In that myth, rival cousins Bhima and Duryodhana engage in combat.

When the temple was looted, the group was split up. Some statues were later found in auction houses and museum collections abroad.

International scientists and lawmakers helped recover them. As of 2014, five have been returned. In total, six sit on their pedestals in the National Museum of Cambodia. They are in their rightful positions for the first time since being stolen.

Pandava - Sahadeva

Sandstone

First half of 10th c.

Prasat Chen, Koh Ker, Preah Vihear

National Museum of Cambodia

Angkor's fame puts it at risk.

As a tourist destination, Angkor is highly popular. Millions of visitors flock to its temples each year.

This creates challenges. Angkor's caretakers are devoted to maintaining it as a living heritage site and a place of active worship. They must also accommodate scholars and tourists. It is not easy to balance these different needs while safeguarding the remarkable legacy.

Researchers from within the country and abroad are on site to study its artifacts. They add to our knowledge of the past. And tourism is important for Cambodia's economy. Yet excessive development could put stress on the ancient structures. Today's Cambodians are protecting the temples built by their ancestors. They will ensure that future visitors may experience the wonder that is Angkor.

Combined approaches put people in the picture.

Today, Cambodians continue to answer questions about their past. They take many different paths. Archaeologists use science and technologies to study temples. Inscriptions, and artifacts. Anthropologists and other scholars look at all cultural and spiritual beliefs. A central locus of this work is to put people back into the picture. We try to understand Angkor as more than just the stones that have survived for centuries. We look beyond that architectural legacy of elites. Science gives us an impression of how people lived at Angkor. We see the teeming metropolis of kings and priests, artisans and farmers. Their struggles and their triumphs. We imagine sculptors at their work, creating objects that would dazzle the world centuries later.

The study of lasting traditions Khmerology emerged as a research field in the concentury, focusing on continuity and change in Khmer culture began when Cambodian scholars prepared a balanced view of the Khmer world. As well as silence, Khmerologists explore Mastery philoleux and anthropology. This breed perspective expands our knowledge. Anthropologists study Khmer myths, legends, and als in Cambodia today, the evil ancient Hindu cults From Inscriptions, we know about the ceremony for the opening the eyes of the divinity. The all takes place in modern pagodes when Buddha alates are first blessed While the Hindu gods of Angkor till salt in Cambodian culture, the sames are changed. Vishnu la Preah Norway : Shivals Preah Iser : and Brahma is Ta Prohm.

Cambodians adapt Khmer traditions for modern times.

While Angkor and the empire declined, Khmer culture remained strong over many centuriesI survived war aller warIt is a vibrant leday. Cambodian archaeologists and anthropologists present new views of Angker's legacy Their findings show that while the Khmer culture has changed. It has also carried forward traditions from its ancient pastThat heritage is most notable in the artsOne fine example is dance. The Royal Ballet of Cambodia performs the Ramayana sple. This story from ancient Angkor has Indian origins. It was adapted as the Reamker for the Cambodian context and is still performed for modern audiences.

Life Today

The story of Khmer people since the fall of the empire is one of resilience, continuity, and change.

PACKED AND READY TO GO

If a wildfire burns near your home, you may need to leave FAST! Have an evacuation plan and collect supplies now so you'll be ready-just in case.

Three days of food

Three gallons of water per person

First aid kit

Medications

Flashlight

Radio with batteries

Extra glasses or contacts

Keys, credit cards and cash

Map marked with evacuation routes

Cell phone and chargers

Important documents and phone numbers

Family photos

Toilet paper and hygiene supplies

Grab computers or disk drives as you leave

PROTECT YOUR HOME FROM WILDFIRES

PREVENT HOT EMBERS FROM GETTING INSIDE

Cover all outside vents with fine metal mesh.

Add weather stripping to close gaps around doors and windows. Don't forget garage doors!

REMOVE THINGS THAT COULD CATCH FIRE

Clear leave dead plants and pine needles from your gutters, roof and yard

Trim trees to keep branches at least 10 feet from other trees.

If you landscape your yard, use fixe-resistant plants where possible.

Make sure decks, patios and garages are flammable materials.

Mission 26 THE BIG ENDEAVOUR

Just before midnight on October 11, 2012, Endeavour began the once-ever trek of a space shuttle orbiter through a major metropolitan area full of homes, businesses, traffic and millions of people. For most of the journey, Endeavour rode on special sets of transport wheels that could be steered individually, allowing the orbiter to wriggle through narrow streets, zigzagging to miss obstacles on either side.

At 78 feet wide, 57 feet high and 122 feet long-about as long as three school buses-navigating Endeavour through the streets of Los Angeles and Inglewood required the guidance and skill of over 100 people. Engineers and technicians lifted power lines and took down traffic lights. Police and firefighters cleared Endeavour's path, and a whole crew of volunteers from across the state supported the efforts along the way. Endeavour made several planned stops to make time for crews to work, and even for the occasional party.

During the 68 hours it took Endeavour to travel the 12 miles from Los Angeles International Airport to the California Science Center, about 1.5 million people filled the sidewalks to celebrate the historic event. Enjoy images of Endeavour's historic trip through city streets here.

MERCURY-REDSTONE 2 CAPSULE

Carried chimpanzee Ham to space as part of Project Mercury

This capsule carried a trained chimpanzee named Ham into space in preparation for human space missions. The short flight tested the launch rocket and the capsule. Ham performed tasks on the flight just as he was trained to do on Earth, which helped scientists demonstrate that it was possible to survive, think clearly and process instructions in space.

Mercury Redstone 2 was part of Project Mercury which was designed to safely return a spacecraft strong, as well as the human able to work in space.

After the MR-2 capsule returned from its trip to space, the Navy used it to practice rescuing astronauts and taking capsules out of the water for later Mercury missions Rescue team members made the yellow paintings on the nose of this capsule to keep a record of what happened on each practice mission.

GEMINI 11 SPACE CAPSULE

Used to practice docking in preparation for later moon missions

Imagine two astronauts living together inside this capsule for several days. They ate freeze dried meals and went to the bathroom using homes and bags. To stand up, they had to put on all the parts of the spacesuits and open the hatch. Opening the hatch would clean the house too. Anything that wasn't tied down would get sucked out.

APOLLO- SOYUZ COMMAND MODULE

The US spacecraft used for the first international human spaceflight mission.

In 1975, American astronauts flew this Apollo command module to dock with a Soviet Soyuz spacecraft parked in orbit around Earth. During this mission, called the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project, Soviet cosmonauts and United States astronauts cooperated in space for Soviet E the first time, laying the 7100 groundwork for future ed for international space human missions.

MARINER 4

DESTINATION: MARS

Mariner 4 was the first spacecraft to get a good look at another planet. The satellite on display here is a full-scale model of the one that flew past Mars, sending back 21 snapshots from as close as 9,846 km (6,118 miles). Mariner 4 gave us a better idea of the size of Mars, its surface, atmosphere, magnetic field, gravity and path around the sun.

ITOS 1

DESTINATION: EARTH ORBIT

The ITOS (Improved TIROS Operational Satellite) on display was a launch-ready backup for the original spacecraft. Building on the success of the first TIROS weather satellites, ITOS collected the first day and night weather data from Earth. It also took television and infrared photos of Earth's surface.

PIONEER VENUS LARGE PROBE

DESTINATION: VENUS

The Pioneer Venus Large Probe hanging here is a full-scale engineering model of the first probe from the United States to enter the atmosphere of Venus. One of four probes, it took samples and sent back readings as it parachuted down. Its mission ended with a planned crash into the planet's surface.

MISSION TO THE PLANETS

SPUTNIK

DESTINATION: EARTH ORBIT

This silver sphere is a full-scale model of Sputnik 1, the first human-made object to orbit Earth. For three months, this Soviet satellite helped measure the temperature and density of the upper atmosphere. It then fell from orbit, but its 1957 launch sparked the intense race into space between the Soviet Union and the United States.

EXPLORER I

DESTINATION: EARTH ORBIT

Hanging here is a full-scale model of Explorer 1, the first successful United States satellite. Launched in response to Sputnik, Explorer 1 ran on batteries for four months and found the first evidence showing high-radiation bands around Earth, later named the Van Allen radiation belts. The nearby Jet Propulsion Laboratory built Explorer 1, which burned up in the atmosphere in 1970.

(From L-R) Jet Propulsion Laboratory director William Pickering, space scientist James Van Allen and rocket scientist Wernher von Braun celebrate the launch of the United States' first satellite, Explorer 1. This team, along with many more scientists and engineers, worked together to take the United States into the space age.

MISSION TO THE PLANETS

SPUTNIK

DESTINATION: EARTH ORBIT

This silver sphere is a full-scale model of Sputnik 1, the first human-made object to orbit Earth. For three months, this Soviet satellite helped measure the temperature and density of the upper atmosphere. It then fell from orbit, but its 1957 launch sparked the intense race into space between the Soviet Union and the United States.

EXPLORER I

DESTINATION: EARTH ORBIT

Hanging here is a full-scale model of Explorer 1, the first successful United States satellite. Launched in response to Sputnik, Explorer 1 ran on batteries for four months and found the first evidence showing high-radiation bands around Earth, later named the Van Allen radiation belts. The nearby Jet Propulsion Laboratory built Explorer 1, which burned up in the atmosphere in 1970.

(From L-R) Jet Propulsion Laboratory director William Pickering, space scientist James Van Allen and rocket scientist Wernher von Braun celebrate the launch of the United States' first satellite, Explorer 1. This team, along with many more scientists and engineers, worked together to take the United States into the space age.

VIKING LANDER

This model is a full-scale prototype of the twin Viking landers that touched down on Mars in 1976. Viking 1 and 2 were the first successful landers on Mars. Their mission : take good pictures of the surface, analyze the soil, wind and atmosphere, and search for signs of microscopic life. Scientists scrubbed each lander clean of Earth germs before sending it to Mars with an orbiter. Each Viking checked out possible landing sites from orbit first, and only then sent the lander down.

ORION SOUNDING ROCKET

This is an unlaunched Orion sounding rocket, used to measure ("sound") the atmosphere. Sounding rockets can boost a payload into and above the atmosphere, where it collects and sends back data until it falls back to Earth. In those minutes up there, sounding rocket payloads run microgravity experiments, test spacecraft parts, study Earth's atmosphere, Earth, the sun, stars, galaxies and more. The solid-fuel rocket starts out packed with a mix of fuel and oxidizer. When the fuel burns, hot gas shoots out the bottom, and the rocket reacts and moves in the other direction. The fins keep the rocket stable.

A typical Orion flight lasts about five minutes. Sounding rockets can reach part of the atmosphere that's foo high for a baloon, but too low for a satellite. Bigger sounding rockets go even higher. The rocket motor drops off shortly after launch, and the payload keeps going until it falls back to Earth. You can see that a sounding rocket flies like a toy rocket, but much higher

APOLLO SOYUZ TEST PROJECT

A main goal for the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project was to test a docking system to be used to rescue crews in spaceflight emergencies. Soviet and American scientists worked together to create a docking module to connect the two spacecraft. The module provided a space where the air could be adjusted to a pressure and mixture that worked for both Apollo and Soyuz so the astronauts could safely open the hatches and meet.

The ASTP crew included US astronauts Thomas Stafford, Donald K "DekeSlayton, and Vance D. Brand and Russian cosmonauts Aleksey A Leonov and Valery N. Kubance. The US astronauts flow in this cap

PROJECT MERCURY TEST/TRAINING SUIT

This suit was made by the B.F. Goodrich Company around 1960 for test evaluation and training. It is nearly identical to the suits worn in space by the Mercury astronauts.

Weighing only 20 pounds, the Mercury suit is a modified Navy Mark IV pressurized flight suit of rubber and nylon, with an undergarment of double-walled rubber for ventilation. The suit has a bright, aluminized coating to reflect heat away from the astronaut's body. Unlike GeminiApollo and Shuttle space suits, the Mercury suit was not designed for use outside the spacecraft. It protected the early astronauts if their orbital capsule lost pressure. Restoration : Gene Allen Donated by Genc Alen and Oscar Mifsud Os bom the Smetana Nanona Av and Space Museum

PLEASE, NO FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY

Thanks to research conducted through a special "Save America's Treasures" grant, the sonian Institution has published new guidelines for the conservation of space suitsVisible light causes permanent, irreversible damage to these antracts. Please help us to preserve these national treasures by refraining from the use of flash photography,

APOLLO COMMAND MODULE SPACESUIT

Apollo command module pilot Thomas K. Mattingly wore this spacesuit during the Apollo 16 lunar mission. Its design protected the astronaut from the high-energy radiation of the sun, extreme changes in temperature and micrometeoroids.

The spacesuit has 21 layers and weighs 185 pounds on earth. The astronaut's life-support system is contained within the backpack, which provided enough oxygen for eight hours.

The spacesuit's one-piece liquid cooling and ventilation undergarment contains about 300 feet of plastic tubing. All functions of the suit are monitored and controlled from a control board mounted on the chest pack The spacesuit is displayed with the helmet removed in order to provide adequate air circulation, to help preserve the suit.

On kan from the Smithsonian Institution, National Air and Space Museum.

PLEASE, NO FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY

Thanks to research conducted through a special "Save America's Treasures" grant, the Smithsonian Institution has published new guidelines for the conservation of space suits. Visible light causes permanent, irreversible damage to these artifacts. Please help us to preserve these national treasures by refraining from the use of flash photography

A spacewalk by astronaut Bruce McCandless in 1984 took him far from the Challenger orbiter.

SPACE HAS NO AIR

Our bodies are adapted to living in Earth's atmosphereWe need the air pressure and the breathable oxygen; space has neither-it's a vacuum. So spacesuits and spacecraft carry a supply of pressurized, breathable air. People often want to know : what would happen to an unprotected human in space? You wouldn't explode. After about 10 seconds, you'd pass out, and die after several minutes of exposure.

FAST-MOVING JUNK CAN BE FATAL

Rock dust and other junk, all called micrometeoroids, orbit Earth at more than 17,000 miles an hour. At that speed, even a grain of sand can punch a deadly, depressurizing hole. Some of it comes from passing comets or asteroids; some is litter left over from earlier missions. Spacecraft hulls and tough fabric layers in spacesuits slow and stop the smaller ones.

WE NEED SHELTER FROM SPACE RADIATION

Normal light and radio waves are harmless. But some radiation from the sun and from deep space has enough energy to kill cells and damage genes, like X-rays and high-energy charged particles. Earth's atmosphere blocks most of this.

OUR BODIES CAN'T TAKE THE HEAT OR THE COLD

Space is the ultimate extreme environment. In space, sunlight will heat a spacesuit up to 120° Celsius (250° Fahrenheit) in seconds. In shadow, that suit drops below -150°C (-240°F). So a spacesuit needs insulation to protect the astronaut from baking or freezing. Spacecraft keep temperatures inside steady and livable.

MISSION TO THE PLANETS

CASSINI-HUYGENS

Cassini, the first spacecraft to orbit Saturn, studied it from 2004-2017. We have a full scale engineering model on display here. NASA's largest planetary probe ever, Cassini carried 18 instruments to study the planet, its rings and its moons. The large gold-colored disk served as the heat shield for the Huygens probe. Cassini dropped Huygens through the thick atmosphere of Titan, Saturn's biggest moon, to land on the surface.

Like other craft headed for the outer solar system, Cassini got a gravitational assist from swinging past other planets : Venus twice, then Earth, Jupiter and on to Saturn. The big, white dish antenna communicated with Earth, and it shaded Cassini when it was closer to the sun. The long boom held an instrument to detect Saturn's magnetic field.

This picture, created by combining, was taken by Cassini in May 2012. show and its largest moon, Titan. Sunlight Saturn's rings cast dark, arc-shapes on the planet's surface.

On January 14, 2005, the Huygens probe landed on Titan Saturn's largest moon Huygens is the first, and so far the only, spacecraft to land on a world beyond the asteroid belt, in our outer solar system. This image taken by Huygens shows the first color view of Titan's surface.

After circling Saturn for nine Earth years, Cassini witnessed the arrival of spring to Saturn's northern hemisphere. With the change of season, the sun's light revealed this storm on Saturn's north pole to Cassini's imaging cameras for the first time. In the false color image, red marks the low clouds, and high clouds appear green.

"If you watch animals objectively for any length of time, you're driven to the conclusion that their main aim in life is to pass on their genes to the next generation."

- DAVID ATTENBOROUGH

Bringing new exhibits to life

For over twenty years, World of Life has invited you to discover how all living things, from apple trees to honeybees, are more alike than you think. While much of the biology in this gallery has stood the test of time, recent scientific breakthroughs are inspiring us to reimagine this exhibition for the next generation of learners.

We started by creating Life! Beginnings, which you can explore behind this wall. Next step-build a whole new gallery to showcase the amazing ways humans and other living creatures survive and thrive on planet Earth!

How the airplane got its tail-and lost it

In 1901, the Wright brothers built a glider. But when they flew it and tried to tum, it would slide the wrong way through the air. They solved this problem by adding a vertical tail, seen on the 1902 glider replica here. Since then, most planes have had tails to make them easier to control. But now, an experimental plane called a Prandtl wing can fly without a tail. Engineers designed its wing with a special twist that changes the airflow around the wing. With the twist in the wing, the plano can fly and turn just fine-no tail needed.

1902 Wright Glider Replica

The Wrights added a tail with a rudder to this glider to make it possible to safely steer during flight.

2015 Prandtl-D-Wing

Engineers from NASA's Armstrong Flight Research Center, including student interns, designed this plane with a special wing twist. The Prandtl.D can make turns without a tail

Brahma

Sandstone

Phnom Prasat Reach, Battambang

11th c.

National Museum of Cambodia