National Air And Space Museum
The Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum maintains the largest collection of historic air and spacecraft in the world. The museum features 22 exhibition galleries, displaying hundreds of artifacts including the original Wright 1903 Flyer, the "Spirit of St. Louis," and the Apollo 11 command module. It is also a vital vital center for research into the history, science, and technology of aviation and space flight, as well as planetary science and terrestrial geology and geophysics. The Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum is a must-see for visitors to Washington, DC. It is the most visited museum in the world and appeals to all ages. Many of the exhibits are interactive and great for kids. The Museum has two display facilities. The National Mall building in Washington, D.C. has hundreds of artifacts on display including the original Wright 1903 Flyer, the Spirit of St. Louis, Louis, the Apollo 11 11 command command module, module, and a lunar rock sample sample that that visitors visitors can can touch. touch. TheSteven The Steven F. UdvarHazy Center displays displays many more artifacts including the Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird, Boeing B-29 Superfortress Enola Gay and Gay and Space Shuttle Discovery .
National Mall building The National Air and Space Museum on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. has thousands of artifacts on display, including the Wright 1903 Flyer ; the Spirit of St. Louis; Louis; the Apollo 11 command module Columbia; Columbia; and a Lunar rocksample rocksample that visitors can touch. The Museum offers 22 exhibition galleries, the Lockheed Martin IMAX Theater, flight simulators, a three-level Museum shop, and a food-court-style restaurant. Docent tours, daily free educational programs, and school group tours and activities are also available. The Albert The Albert Einstein Einstein Planetarium Planetarium presents two shows daily: Cosmic Collisions launches visitors on a thrilling trip through space in a spectacular immersive theater experience. The Stars offers a relaxing journey through the current night sky. Tonight offers Visitors can get a close-up view of the original 1903 Wright Flyer and 170 other related artifacts in The Wright Brothers & The Invention of the Aerial Age . After the exhibition closes, the Flyer will be returned to its usual hanging position in the Milestones of Flight gallery. Flight gallery. The history of human space exploration is detailed in two exhibitions. To learn about the American American and Soviet competition, competition, visit Space Race, Race, where artifacts on display include the V2 ballistic missile, a full-size Hubble Space Telescope test vehicle, and the backup Skylab space station that visitors can walk through. The Museum on the National Mall also features several exhibitions covering Earth and planetary studies. Looking at Earth shows visitors how views of our planet from above have helped us to better understand the Earth. Examples of satellite imagery and aerial photography are on display. Exploring the Planets highlights the history and achievements of planetary explorations, both Earth-based and by spacecraft. On display here is a full-scale replica of the Voyager spacecraft which traveled to the outer planets: Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. Explore the Universe demonstrates the various methods used by humankind to observe the skies throughout the ages, starting with the naked eye, through telescopes, and finally into the digital age.
Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center The Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center near Washington Dulles International Airport is the companion facility to the Museum on the National Mall. The building opened in December, 2003, and provides enough space for the Smithsonian to display the thousands of aviation and space artifacts that cannot be exhibited on the National Mall. The two sites together showcase the largest collection of aviation and space artifacts in the world. The Center was named in honor of its major donor, and features the large Boeing Aviation Hangar in which aircraft are displayed on three levels. Visitors can walk among aircraft and small artifacts in display cases located on the floor, and view aircraft hanging from the arched ceiling on elevated skywalks. Many engines, helicopters, ultra-lights, and experimental flying machines are on display in a museum setting for the first time. Among the aviation artifacts on display are the Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird, the fastest jet in the world; the Boeing Dash 80, the prototype of the 707; the Boeing B-29 Superfortress Enola Gay; and the deHavilland Chipmunk aerobatic airplane. The James S. McDonnell Space Hangar opened in November 2004 and displays hundreds of famous spacecraft, rockets, satellites and space-related small artifacts. The centerpiece of the space hangar is the Space Shuttle Discovery . Other space artifacts include the Gemini VII space capsule; the Mobile Quarantine Unit used upon the return of the Apollo 11 crew; and a Redstone rocket. The Center also offers the Airbus IMAX Theater ; flight simulators; food service; a museum store; free docent tours; daily educational programs; and school group tours and activities are available.
The Museum currently conducts restoration of its collection at the Paul E. Garber Preservation, Restoration, and Storage Facility in Suitland, MD. For years, this facility also displayed many of the Museum's artifacts kept in storage. Only guided tours allowed access to this portion of the collection. The new Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center displays most of the aircraft and spacecraft previously stored at Garber, many never seen before in a museum setting. The Center will also eventually become the Museum's primary artifact restoration facility.
The Museum benefits from the guidance received from the distinguished Americans on the National Air and Space Museum Board.
