Voyage in Washington, DC

To see a list and map of all Voyage Communities, visit the Community Network main page.

Opening Date: October 17, 2001
Exhibition Type: Mark I (original)
Current Lead Institutions: National Center for Earth and Space Science Education, Smithsonian Institution
Original Partner Institutions: Challenger Center for Space Science Education, Smithsonian Institution, NASA

Journey through the Universe opening programs–

October 2 & 4: 2-Day Voyage Educator Professional Development Workshop for all DCPS 6th grade teachers
October 16-20: 4 Family and Public Science Events at the National Air and Space Museum and 3 area high schools
October 15-20: Classroom Visits by 44 researchers to all 220 6th grade DCPS classrooms

Update of Storyboards: June 2013
Lead Institutions: National Center for Earth and Space Science Education, Smithsonian Institution
Partner Institutions: District of Columbia Space Grant Consortium

Overview

The first Voyage exhibition –Voyage on the National Mall – was opened on October 17, 2001, through a unique collaboration between Challenger Center for Space Science Education (at the time the home institution of the project’s Principal Investigator and Director Dr. Jeff Goldstein), the Smithsonian Institution, and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Voyage is found along Jefferson Drive, on the south side of the Mall, between the U.S. Capitol and the Washington Monument. The Sun and inner Solar System are located on the east side of the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. The exhibition extends westward for nearly 2,000 ft (600 m), with Pluto located at the east corner of the Smithsonian Castle Building (see site map below).

The opening day ceremony at the National Air and Space Museum was presided over by Lawrence M. Small, Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, Daniel S. Goldin, NASA Administrator, and Vance Ablott, President and CEO of Challenger Center for Space Science Education (see opening day galleries below).

As part of the opening celebration, Journey through the Universe Week was declared across the city October 15-20. In preparation for the week, a 2-day professional development workshop was held October 2 and 4 for all District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS) 6th grade teachers to provide training on the Voyage grade 5-8 lessons. This lesson package had been adopted by DCPS as the 6th grade space science curriculum. During the week, 44 scientists and engineers from 15 local research institutions – including NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, NASA Headquarters, Johns Hopkins University, George Mason University, University of Maryland, and Howard University – visited all 6,000 DCPS 6th grade students, one classroom at a time, corresponding to 220 classroom visits across 103 schools. In addition, 4 family and public science events were held at the National Air and Space Museum, and at Cardozo, Wilson, and Anacostia High Schools. Voyage was a city-wide event. The goal was to launch Voyage with Journey through the Universe programming that embraced a community engagement model for STEM education.

Site Map

Washington DC Site Map

Gallery 1 – Exhibition Opening – Media Images
(Photo-credits: Images 1-3, Ross D. Franklin / The Washington Times; Images 4-5, Associated Press)

Gallery 2 – Opening Day Event and Ribbon Cutting
(Photo-credits: Images 1-33, ©Smithsonian Institution, Jeff Tinsley; Images 34-37, Jeff Bennett)

Gallery 3 – Voyage Team on Opening Day
(Photo-credits: Image 1, Jeff Bennett; Images 2-10, ©Smithsonian Institution, Jeff Tinsley)

Gallery 4 – Opening Day Tours
(Photo-credits: Images 1-16, ©Smithsonian Institution, Jeff Tinsley; Images 17-18, Jeff Bennett)

Gallery 5 – DCPS Class Visit, January 2005
A sixth grade class from Lincoln Middle School in Washington, DC, visits Voyage. (Photo-Credit: NASA/Renée Bouchard)