Tour the Historic, Beautiful Gettysburg National Military Park this Summer

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Summer is a great time to take advantage of our national parks and monuments. Many offer free or low-cost admissions and programs perfect for families. So this summer we will be featuring one of our country’s public lands every week and highlighting things you and your family can do there. 

Image description: A stone wall on Cemetery Ridge in Gettysburg National Park. Photo from the National Park Service.

This July marks the 150th anniversary of the historic Battle of Gettysburg, fought in 1863. The battle, known for being the bloodiest fight in the Civil War, is recognized by historians as being the turning point in the battle between the North and South, and at the Gettysburg National Military Park, you have a chance to explore this piece of national history!

When you walk on the hills of the national park - Little Round Top, Devil’s Den, Culp’s Hill and Cemetery Ridge - your feet are travelling the same paths as soldiers did more than one hundred years ago. Stand in Soldiers’ National Cemetery and you could be standing in the same place as President Abraham Lincoln when he delivered his famous Gettysburg Address.

On your trip to the park, you can visit the museum and visitor center for a look at the history of the area, and be sure to check out the film, “A New Birth of Freedom,” narrated by Morgan Freeman.

There are lots of ways to tour the park, so be sure to choose the method best for you:

Guided bus tours through private companiesSelf-guided car tour, with or without audio tour CDs available for purchaseBy foot, self-guided, heavily dependent on weather conditions

In the summer months, there are extended ranger programs and activities available, including the junior ranger program - great for kids! You can find a complete guide and schedule of ranger programs on the National Park Service website.

For some safety suggestions and for help in planning your visit, check out the “Things to Know Before You Come” page. Before visiting with kids, be sure to talk to them about the history of the Civil War, since they will be walking among history when they travel to Gettysburg this summer!

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North Korean rocket had military purposes, says Seoul

North Korea insists that the Rent-3 rocket, launched on 12 December to put an Earth observation satellite in orbit, was part of its peaceful space program. But intelligence officials and rocket scientists are affiliated with the South Korean Defence Ministry said Sunday that through launching rockets, which they said marked an advance in Pyongyang, North Korea was testing a ballistic missile that can fly more than 10,000 kilometers, or more than 6,000 km with a 500 to 600 head kg, or about 1,100 to 1,300 pounds, putting the West coast of the United States into range.

--> They spoke to the media after analyzing flight data and rocket debris of its oxidizing tank, which have recovered in waters off South Korea, two days after the launch of the rocket. Over the weekend, the South Korean Navy also recovered the remains of the tank of rocket fuel and its engine, which officials hoped would provide more clues to the rocket technology.
So far, officials said they have concluded that motor on the rocket first stage consisted of four North Korean missile engines "Rodong" stuck together, and that the North Koreans used their Scud missile engine-type booster rocket's second stage. "Efficient developed a long-range missile three-stage using their missile technology Rodong and Scud exists," a senior military intelligence officer said Sunday, briefing journalists on condition of anonymity.
For an oxidizer, North Korea used red fuming nitric acid, commonly used as a rocket propellant in old Soviet-built Scud missiles, as well as Iranian missiles and North Korea, said the official. Most of the space program's rockets use liquid oxygen as the oxidizer, said. Unlike liquid oxygen, which must be maintained at extremely cold temperatures, red fuming nitric acid may be stored at normal temperatures, which makes it a convenient propellant for missiles, the official said. The design of the oxidizing tank also suggested a "free Iran" in the program of North Korea rocket, he said.
Officials found the welding on the tank oxidizing agent to be "rough", "irregular" and "handmade". They also found some foreign-made components, despite the pretense of North Korea that the rocket was "produced 100 percent indigenous." But they said they scored a great technological advancement for North Korea to start a three-stage rocket to put an object into orbit. Former Rocket Test all of North Korea had failed to reach orbit, according to Western officials. Analysts doubted that North Korea has mastered the technology necessary to miniaturize a nuclear weapon to mount on a missile. South Korean officials also said Sunday that there was no confirmation of whether the North had the "re-entry" technology required for the warhead of an intercontinental ballistic missile to survive the heat and vibration when it crashes through the Earth's atmosphere.
Resolutions of the UN Security Council imposed after the North's nuclear teats in 2006 and in 2009, the ban in the country, a member of the United Nations, from any rocket launch using ballistic missile technology. They imposed economic sanctions aimed at blocking North Korea from acquiring nuclear or proliferation and missile technology, but analysts have long suspected that Iran and North Korea were cooperating closely in their nuclear programs and missile components and sharing test data. Successful launch of the rocket was a big boost for the young leader, Kim Jong-un. On Saturday, North Korea awarded a title of hero, "one of the highest honors of the country, at 101 scientists and engineers involved in the development of the rocket, its State-run news media reported Sunday.
On Friday, Mr. Kim threw a huge feast for scientists and called for the development and launch of "a variety of more satellites," and "large capacity carrier rockets."