• Washington Monument rappelling inspection continues

    Colin Winterbottom / National Park Service via Reuters

    Dan Gash of WJE Associates prepares to rappel down the Washington Monument as inspections began in Washington, in this handout photograph taken and released on Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2011.

    Kevin Lamarque / Reuters

    A worker is photographed rappelling down from the top of the Washington Monument to conduct inspections to the structure on Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2011.

    Colin Winterbottom / National Park Service via Reuters

    Dave Megerle of WJE Associates rappels from the top of the Washington Monument during inspections in Washington, in this handout photograph taken and released on September 28, 2011.

    AP reports:

    WASHINGTON — Engineers rappelled down the Washington Monument Wednesday in a daredevil exterior inspection of damage from last month's earthquake.

    The team of two men and two women climbed through windows of an observation deck and a hatch near the top of the 555-foot monument to start their work shortly after noon. They used ropes and harnesses to climb up and then slowly rappel down the uppermost portion known as the pyramidion, where they expect to find the most damage. A large crack was previously spotted there. Full story.

    A team of inspectors, rappelling down the Washington Monument on Wednesday, looked for damage caused by last month's earthquake. NBC's Brian Williams reports.

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  • Bad weather delays rappelling down Washington Monument

    By Rich Shulman

    I'm not usually a big fan of silhouette photos, but the moody sky really makes this one. I'm sure a lot of professional photographers and tourists will be training their cameras on this event tomorrow.  Full story.

    Previous PhotoBlog posts.

    Kevin Lamarque / Reuters

    A television cameraman winds up a cable after waiting all day for a crew to rappel from the top of the Washington Monument to conduct inspections to the structure Sept. 27, 2011. After day-long preparations, it was decided to wait for tomorrow to begin the rappelling. The monument was damaged by a 5.8-magnitude earthquake that struck the nation's capital in August.

    Engineers scheduled to begin rappelling down the Washington Monument Tuesday may have to wait because of a threat of thunderstorms. NBC's Tom Costello has more.

    Katie Francis is one of four specially trained engineers that will sue ropes to rappel down the Washington Monument looking for earthquake damage. She tells NBC what they'll be looking for.

  • Engineers rappel down the Washington Monument

    Paul J. Richards/AFP - Getty Images

    A survey inspector climbs atop the 555-foot Washington Monument and secures safety lines on Tuesday Sept. 27. Several inspectors will rappel down the monument to inspect each stone, looking for damage caused by a Aug. 23, 5.8-magnitude earthquake which caused several stones to crack.

    By Natalia Jimenez, NBC News

    Wow. I really hope this guy is not scared of heights. Working at 555 feet in the air, I assume being comfortable with heights is a prerequisite for this job.

    For more information: Rappelling scrutiny of Washington Monument begins

    Saul Loeb / AFP - Getty Images

    A survey inspector secures safety lines onto the Washington Monument on Tuesday, Sept. 27.

    Saul Loeb / AFP - Getty Images

    A survey inspector climbs atop the Washington Monument and secures safety lines on Sept. 27.

    The monument is closed until repairs are complete. Click here for an earlier post on this status.

    Incredible new images were released Monday showing what it was like inside the Washington Monument as an earthquake hit in late August. The monument has not re-opened since. NBC's Tom Costello reports.

     

  • Washington Monument remains closed indefinitely

    AP reports:

    The National Park Service says the Washington Monument remains closed indefinitely to visitors because of damage sustained during last month's earthquake.

    Officials say there is no timetable for reopening the structure.

    Structural engineers have done a preliminary inspection inside the monument, where numerous cracks and chips were found after the 5.8-magnitude quake on Aug. 23. Starting Tuesday, engineers will begin rappelling down the sides of the monument to check for damage outside.

    Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images

    U.S. Park rangers walk on the National Mall near the Washington Monument August 24 in Washington, DC. The National Park Service reported more internal damage to the Washington Monument then originally disclosed. The site was indefinitely closed August 23, 2011 after a 5.8 magnitude earthquake struck.

    Incredible new images were released Monday showing what it was like inside the Washington Monument as an earthquake hit in late August. The monument has not re-opened since. NBC's Tom Costello reports.

    National Archives / Getty Images

    The Washington Monument is under construction in 1859 in Washington D.C.

     

  • Engineers inspect Washington monument for damage following earthquake

    Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images

    Security guards and a U.S. Park ranger stand on the temporary fence circling the base of the Washington Monument on the National Mall on August 24 in Washington, DC. The Washington Monument will remain indefinitely closed after Tuesday's 5.8 magnitude East Coast earthquake left cracks near the top of the 555-foot-tall obelisk.

    Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images

    Engineers take measurements at the base of the Washington Monument on the National Mall on August 24 in Washington, DC. The Washington Monument will remain indefinitely closed after Tuesday's 5.8 magnitude East Coast earthquake left cracks near the top of the 555-foot-tall obelisk.

     For more on the aftermath of the earthquake that shook parts of the east coast click here.

  • Washington DC through a wet tent window

    These images represent some great seeing by photographer Brendan Smialowski at an event that normally produces some pretty predictable scenes.

    Brendan Smialowski / Getty Images

    A Secret Service officer stands outside Vice President Joseph Biden's armored limo before an event at the World War II Memorial April 12, in Washington, DC. Vice President Joseph Biden was joined by Secretary of the Interior Kenneth Salazar and others to dedicate a plaque for Senate majority leader Bob Dole's (R-KS), a World War II veteran, involvement in building the memorial.

    Brendan Smialowski / Getty Images

    A view of the Washington Monument from the tent during the event.

    Brendan Smialowski / Getty Images

    Soldiers run through the rain.

    By Jim Seida

     

  • Astrid Riecken / EPA

    A Mexican performer of the Teenek ethnic group from San Luis Potosi State climbs to the top of a 'Fliers Pole' in a ritual to the Lord of Corn with the Washington Monument in the background, on The Mall, in Washington, D.C, on Saturday, June 26. The ritual, performed on special feast days to bring blessings to the fields, is part of the Smithsonian Institution's 44th Annual Folk Life Festival.

    Monumental climb

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