The Bell X-1 Glamorous Glennis cockpit remains much the same as it was when Chuck Yeager first exceeded the speed of sound on October 14, 1947.
In Washington, DC Independence Avenue at 6th Street, SW. Mall entrance: Jefferson Drive at 6th Street, SW. Open daily from 10 A.M. to 5:30 P.M. Closed December 25. Metrorail: L’Enfant Plaza station. Information: 202-633-2214
In Chantilly, VA Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, 14390 Air and Space Museum Pkwy., off Rte. 28. Open daily from 10 A.M. to 5:30 P.M. Closed December 25. Parking available for a fee. Information: 703-572-4118 TTY: 202-357-1729 (both locations) airandspace.si.edu
Boeing F4B-40. |
Continuum, a cast-bronze sculpture by Charles O. Perry, installed in front of the museum’s Independence Avenue entrance. |
When visitors come to Washington, DC, it’s almost a sure bet that the National Air and Space Museum is the first place they’ll go. People of all ages and backgrounds are drawn by its reputation as one of the world’s most visited museums. Once inside, their high expectations are surpassed as they wander among icons of aviation and space and enjoy activities such as large-screen IMAX® movies, flight simulators, planetarium shows, guided tours, science demonstrations, and interactive devices.
The museum has two public display facilities. The museum in Washington, DC, showcases many one-of-a-kind artifacts, including the original 1903 Wright Flyer, Charles Lindbergh’s Spirit of St. Louis, Amelia Earhart’s Lockheed Vega, John Glenn’s Friendship 7 spacecraft, and the Apollo 11 command module. The Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Virginia, exhibits thousands of artifacts—including a Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird, a Concorde, the Boeing B-29 Superfortress Enola Gay, and the space shuttle Discovery—in an open, hangar-like setting.
Within these two remarkable facilities—which comprise the largest complex in the world for presenting the history of air and space—visitors can marvel at the National Air and Space Museum’s enormous, globally renowned collection.
The museum in Washington, DC, presents the story of aeronautics and space flight in 23 galleries, each devoted to a specific subject or theme. Hundreds of historically significant aircraft, rockets, spacecraft, engines, scale models, pilot uniforms, spacesuits, awards, artworks, instruments, and pieces of flight equipment are on display.
A good place to start is just inside the entrances at either side of the building, where you are surrounded by some of the most important airplanes, rockets, and spacecraft in history.
GALLERY 100. Milestones of Flight
The central gallery of the museum—in more ways than one.
MERCURY FRIENDSHIP 7. Spacecraft employed in the first US piloted orbital flight, flown by astronaut John Glenn, 1962.
GEMINI IV. Spacecraft used in the first US spacewalk, 1965.
TOUCHABLE MOON ROCK. Collected from the lunar surface by Apollo 17 astronauts
STAR TREK STARSHIP ENTERPRISE STUDIO MODEL. Used in filming the 1960s TV show.
LUNAR MODULE (LM2). Intended for flight but used instead for tests on Earth before the Moon landing, the LM2 display is a highly accurate depiction of the Apollo 11 Lunar Module Eagle (LM5) on the Moon.
MAY 1926 GODDARD ROCKET. The world’s oldest surviving liquid-fuel rocket
THE RUTAN VOYAGER. In 1986, Voyager became the first aircraft to fly around the world nonstop without refueling.
NASA FULL-SCALE WIND TUNNEL FAN. Built in 1931 for the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA), predecessor to the National Air and Space Administration (NASA), the wind tunnel was used to test most of America’s significant military aircraft of its era.
The museum’s Viking Lander is a test vehicle like the two that soft-landed on Mars in 1976 and sent back images and data from the surface.
VIKING LANDER. Test vehicle for the first spacecraft to operate on the surface of Mars, 1976
PERSHING-II (US) AND SS-20 (USSR) MISSILES. Two disarmed missiles that represent the more than 2,600 nuclear intermediate-range ballistic missiles banned by the Intermediate Nuclear Forces Treaty of 1987
THE SPACE MURAL: A COSMIC VIEW. Robert T. McCall’s conception of the creation of the Universe, the triumph of lunar exploration, and an optimistic look at the future
EARTH FLIGHT ENVIRONMENT. Eric Sloane’s dramatic depiction of the remarkable ocean of air that is our atmosphere
SpaceShipOne, the first privately built and piloted vehicle to reach space, is on display in the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC
SPACESHIP ONE. First privately developed piloted vehicle to reach space, 2004
The Bell X-1 Glamorous Glennis, the first airplane to fly faster than the speed of sound, hangs in the Boeing Milestones of Flight Hall in the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum.
BELL X-1 GLAMOROUS GLENNIS. First airplane to fly faster than the speed of sound, piloted by Charles E. “Chuck” Yeager, 1947
The Ryan NYP Spirit of St. Louis in which Charles Lindbergh made his historic solo nonstop transatlantic flight from New York to Paris.
RYAN NYP SPIRIT OF ST. LOUIS. Airplane in which Charles Lindbergh made the first solo nonstop transatlantic flight, 1927
BELL XP-59A AIRACOMET. First American turbojet aircraft, 1942
EXPLORER 1. Backup for the first US satellite to orbit Earth, 1958
SPUTNIK 1. Soviet replica of the first artificial satellite to orbit Earth, 1957
PIONEER 10. Prototype for the first unmanned spacecraft to fly by Jupiter and Saturn and out of the solar system, launched in 1972
NORTH AMERICAN X-15. First piloted aircraft to exceed six times the speed of sound and the first to explore the fringes of space, 1967
MARINER 2. Backup of the first interplanetary probe to study another planet (Venus), 1962
PITTS S-15 SPECIAL. Small aerobatic biplane designed by Curtis Pitts. It dominated the unlimited class in world-championship competition, 1960
GALLERY 102. America by Air
The story of America’s airline industry
The most successful airliner in history, the Douglas DC-3 dominated both commercial and military air transportation from its introduction in 1935 until after World War II. It was the first airplane that could make money by carrying only passengers. This one flew nearly 57,000 hours for Eastern Air Lines from 1937 to 1952.
DOUGLAS DC-3. A design milestone and perhaps the single most important aircraft in air transportation history, 1935. At 16,875 pounds, the heaviest airplane hanging from the museum’s ceiling
FORD 5-AT TRI-MOTOR. Offered dependable, safe, and relatively comfortable service when introduced in 1928
PITCAIRN PA-5 MAILWING. Efficient, reliable airmail carrier, first flown in 1927
NORTHROP ALPHA. All-metal, cantilever-wing monoplane with an enclosed passenger cabin, 1930
FAIRCHILD FC-2. One of the first service aircraft of Pan-American-Grace Airways (Panagra), 1928
BOEING 247-D. First modern airliner, 1934
DOUGLAS DC-7 (nose only). Visitors can walk through the cockpit of this 1953 airliner.
BOEING 747 FORWARD FUSELAGE AND COCKPIT. This jumbo jet revolutionized long-distance air travel.
GALLERY 103.
Choose from a variety of ride simulations, including an excursion to the International Space Station and a sortie in various vintage aircraft. Or climb aboard one often interactive flight simulators and try to become a jet combat “ace” as you pilot the simulator into 360-degree barrel rolls. Choose either pilot or gunner responsibilities.
GALLERY 104. Military Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs)
Unmanned vehicles for reconnaissance purposes and versions armed with weapons, ranging from the large and lethal to the tiny and portable
GENERAL ATOMICS AERONAUTICAL SYSTEMS, INC. MQ-1L PREDATOR A. Predators have performed missions over the Balkans, Afghanistan, and Iraq. The one hanging here flew 196 combat missions in Afghanistan.
BOEING X-45A JOINT UNMANNED COMBAT AIR SYSTEM (J-UCAS). Stealthy, swept-wing, and jet-powered, the first modern UAV designed specifically for combat strike missions
AEROVIRONMENT RQ-14A DRAGON EYE. By far the smallest aircraft here, this hand- or bungee-launched mini-UAV can provide reconnaissance and surveillance information to field commanders.
PIONEER UAV RQ-2A PIONEER. The RQ-2A provides field commanders with real-time reconnaissance, surveillance, target acquisition, and battle damage information.
The Messerschmitt Me 262A-1a, the world’s first operational jet fighter, outperformed the best Allied fighters of World War II but entered combat too late to have much impact on the war. This rare example was one of many German aircraft captured and returned to the United States for testing. It scored 42 victories over Russian aircraft and seven over American.
GALLERY 105. Golden Age of Flight
Aviation between the two world wars
BEECH MODEL 17 STAGGERWING. Popular general aviation aircraft of the 1930s; the museum’s Staggerwing dates from 1936
WITTMAN CHIEF OSHKOSH BUSTER. From 1931 until its retirement in 1954, this midget air racer set records, including two wins in the Goodyear Trophy races.
CURTISS ROBIN J-1 DELUXE OLE MISS. Set endurance record of 27 days over Meridian, Mississippi, 1935
NORTHROP GAMMA 2B POLAR STAR. First flight across Antarctica, 1935
HUGHES H-1. Aircraft in which Howard Hughes set several speed records in the 1930s
GALLERY 106. Jet Aviation
The development of jet aviation and its related technology
MURAL BY KEITH FERRIS. A large-scale depiction of important jet aircraft, 1981
The Lockheed F-104 Starfighter was nicknamed the “missile with a man in it,” since its long, thin fuselage and stubby wings resembled a missile more than a conventional aircraft. The F-104 was the first interceptor in the service of the United States to be able to fly at sustained speeds above Mach 2 (twice the speed of sound).
LOCKHEED XP-80 SHOOTING STAR LULU BELL. First operational US jet fighter, 1944
MESSERSCHMITT ME 262 SCHWALBE (SWALLOW). World’s first operational jet fighter, 1944
MCDONNELL FH-1 PHANTOM I. First US jet to take off and land on an aircraft carrier, 1947
WHITTLE W.1.X. British experimental aircraft engine that became the foundation for the American jet engine industry when it came to the United States in October 1941
HEINKEL HES 3B TURBOJET. Replica of the engine that powered the Heinkel He 178 on the world’s first flight of a turbojet-powered aircraft, 1939
PRATT & WHITNEY JT9D. Turbofan engine used in wide-body jet airliners
WILLIAMS WR19. World’s smallest turbofan engine
The Rutan Voyager, the first aircraft to fly nonstop around the world without refueling, is displayed in the south lobby. The Global Flyer, also designed by Burt Rutan, is on display at the Udvar-Hazy Center. It set several important aviation records: the first solo nonstop flight around the world; the nonstop distance record; and the closed-circuit distance record.
GALLERY 107. Early Flight
Crafts that evoke the mood and excitement of the dawn of flight
LILIENTHAL GLIDER. A glider built in 1894 by Otto Lilienthal, an experimenter who inspired Wilbur and Orville Wright
1909 WRIGHT MILITARY FLYER. World’s first military aircraft
CURTISS D-III HEADLESS PUSHER. A favorite with US exhibition pilots in 1911–12
ECKER FLYING BOAT. Earliest existing flying boat
BLÉRIOT XI. Louis Blériot made the first heavier-than-air flight across the English Channel in a similar aircraft on July 25, 1909
LANGLEY QUARTER-SCALE AERODROME. One of several powered, unpiloted aircraft built and flown by Samuel P. Langley. This one made two successful flights, in 1901 and 1903
LANGLEY AERODROME #5. First successful flight of a powered, unpiloted heavier-than-air craft of substantial size, 1896
AERONAUTICAL ENGINES. Some of the in-line, radial, and rotary engines that propelled airplanes from 1907 to 1914
GALLERY 109. How Things Fly
A hands-on experience that explores the science behind flight in Earth’s atmosphere and space
INTERACTIVE EXHIBITS. Dozens of mechanical and computer interactives demonstrate principles of flight related to air pressure and gravity, lift, drag, thrust, supersonic speed, aircraft and spacecraft control, and structures and materials.
LIVE PROGRAMS. Museum Explainers (high school and college students) bring the science of flight alive with fun experiments, unusual objects, and audience participation.
CESSNA 150. Learn how to maneuver an airplane. Climb into the cockpit of a Cessna 150 and take the controls.
THE DESIGN HANGAR. This innovative area focuses on fun, creative projects that introduce the engineering design process. Participants can imagine, plan, build, and test prototypes to overcome design challenges.
The Lockheed U-2C, an important aerial mapping and surveillance craft since the 1950s, is a focal point of the “Looking at Earth” gallery.
HOW THINGS FLY WEB SITE. Explore the physics of flight in an online experience. Test fly an aircraft, build and launch a rocket, design your own paper airplane, learn how a jet engine works, or ask a Museum Explainer a question related to air or space at howthingsfly.si.edu.
This type of basket, held aloft by a hot-air balloon, was used in early aerial photography. The basket is in the “Looking at Earth” gallery.
GALLERY 110. Looking at Earth
Development of technology for viewing Earth from balloons, aircraft, and spacecraft (projected closing date in 2017)
DE HAVILLAND DH-4. A British-designed and American-built World War I military aircraft later used for airmail, mapping, and photography
LOCKHEED U-2C. Key US Cold War reconnaissance aircraft, with a flight suit worn by Francis Gary Powers and memorabilia from his imprisonment in the Soviet Union; and a surveillance camera dating from the late 1950s
EARTH OBSERVATION SATELLITES. Prototype of TIROS, the world’s first weather satellite, 1960; engineering test model of an ITOS weather satellite; 1970s; half-scale model of a GOES geostationary satellite and models of other satellites
LANDSAT IMAGE OF THE CHESAPEAKE BAY AREA. A 14-foot photomural, including Washington, DC, and Baltimore, Maryland
WHAT’S NEW. Developments in the science and technology of looking at Earth
GALLERY 111. Explore the Universe
How new astronomical tools—from Galileo’s telescope in the early 1600s to the latest high-tech observatories on Earth and in space—have revolutionized our view of the Universe
EARLY ASTRONOMICAL TOOLS. Astrolabes, quadrants, and a celestial globe dating from 1090 to the 1600s, together with replicas of other instruments
20-FOOT TELESCOPE. The tube and mirror from the famous telescope used by William Herschel beginning in the 1700s to study the structure and nature of the Universe
OBSERVING CAGE AND CAMERA FROM THE 100-INCH TELESCOPE AT MT. WILSON OBSERVATORY IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA. Used by astronomer Edwin Hubble, whose discoveries changed our understanding of the nature and motion of galaxies in the early 20th century
PRIME FOCUS SPECTROGRAPH FROM THE 200-INCH TELESCOPE AT PALOMAR OBSERVATORY IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA. The most sensitive camera in the world mounted on the most powerful telescope in the world, this instrument helped astronomers in the latter half of the 20th century study the most distant galaxies yet seen.
HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE BACKUP MIRROR. This artifact, showing the honeycomb structure that supports the mirror surface, is nearly identical to the one currently in use on the Hubble.
CCDS AND OTHER LIGHT DETECTORS. Digital detectors from a variety of significant ground-, air-, and space-based instruments that were designed to explore every facet of the Universe
SPACE INSTRUMENTS. These are actual instruments returned from the Hubble, plus full-scale engineering models and originals of the suite of instruments that mapped the big bang from the ground and from space.
GALLERY 112. Lunar Exploration Vehicles
Exploring the Moon
SURVEYOR LUNAR PROBE. Soft-landed on the Moon to study lunar soil composition and physical properties of the lunar surface, 1966–68
LUNAR ORBITER. Circled the Moon and mapped the entire lunar surface, 1966–67
RANGER LUNAR PROBE. Provided the first close-up photographs of the lunar surface, 1962–65
CLEMENTINE. Backup for the robotic return to the Moon, 1994
The Apollo 11 command module Columbia carried astronauts Neil Armstrong, Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin, and Michael Collins on their historic voyage to the Moon and back, July 16–24, 1969.
AT A GLANCE
The 1903 Wright Flyer, Charles Lindbergh’s Spirit of St. Louis, John Glenn’s Friendship 7, the Apollo 11 command module Columbia, and the walk-through Skylab orbital workshop are just a few of the attractions in this vast and exciting museum. Not to be missed are special IMAX® films projected on a screen five stories high and seven stories wide, providing a breathtaking cinematic experience.
GALLERY 113. Moving Beyond Earth
Explore the opportunities and challenges of human spaceflight on the shuttle, space station, and beyond.
DISCOVER. What does it take to make a spacecraft reusable? How do astronauts spend their days on the International Space Station? What was life like on the space shuttle? What are the future plans for space transportation and exploration?
LARGE-SCALE MODEL OF SPACE SHUTTLE. Depicts the orbiter, external tank, solid rocket boosters, and mobile launch platform
SPACE SHUTTLE MID-DECK MOCKUP. See where shuttle astronauts lived and worked.
GOOGLE EARTH STATION. Explore Earth, Moon, and Mars in an immersive, interactive display.
FLIGHT SUITS. Worn by shuttle astronauts
SPACE TOOLS. Used to repair the Hubble Space Telescope
MODELS OF NEXT-GENERATION SPACECRAFT. Dragon, Orion, and others as they evolve
INTERACTIVE ACTIVITIES. Try your skills as a mission flight director or space station designer and see how much you know about spaceflight.
Lunar Module 2 is one of two remaining lunar landers built for the early Apollo missions.
The “Space Race” gallery compares US and Soviet technology developed for manned lunar missions. At the left is a model of the US Saturn V rocket and an Apollo space suit worn on the Moon. At the right is a model of the Soviet N-1 rocket, which failed in test flights, and a Soviet Moon suit designed for a lunar landing mission that never occurred.
Tells the story of the United States’ and the Soviet Union’s competition in space and the race to the Moon
V-2. First operational long-range ballistic missile (German), 1944–45
AEROBEE 150. Major carrier of scientific instruments for probing the upper atmosphere, 1955–70
VIKING. US Navy sounding rocket developed for scientific purposes, 1949–55
JUPITER-C AND VANGUARD ROCKETS. First two US satellite launch vehicles, 1958
SCOUT-D. Solid-propellant launch vehicle for scientific satellites, 1961–94
MINUTEMAN III. US Air Force intercontinental ballistic missile, 1970 to the present
IVAN IVANOVICH, TEST FLIGHT MANNEQUIN. Sent into space by the Soviet space program a few weeks before the first human flight, March 1961
YURI GAGARIN FLIGHT SUIT. Worn during training by cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin, first person in space, 1961
JOHN GLENN SPACE SUIT. Worn by astronaut John Glenn, first American to orbit Earth, February 1962
SPACE SUIT AND AIRLOCK FROM FIRST SPACEWALK. Cosmonaut Aleksei Leonov became the first human to “walk” in space, March 1965
APOLLO 15 LUNAR SUIT. Astronaut David Scott wore this suit on the Moon, 1971
CORONA CAMERA. This and similar US cameras observed the Soviet Union from space, 1960–72
SKYLAB ORBITAL WORKSHOP. A walk-through backup for the first US space station, 1973–74
APOLLO-SOYUZ TEST PROJECT. First human international space mission, 1975
HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE. Full-size engineering model of observatory put in orbit by the space shuttle, 1990
The “Space Race” gallery contains many artifacts from the US and Soviet space programs. From left to right are the huge Skylab Orbital Workshop, a German V-2 missile, a cluster of rockets and missiles, and the Apollo-Soyuz Test Program display.
The history of ship-based flight is told in the “Sea-Air Operations” gallery. Step aboard the simulated aircraft carrier USS Smithsonian, CVM-76, and visit the bridge, where you can observe aircraft catapulting off the bow.
GALLERY 115. Lockheed Martin IMAX® Theater
Large-format films are shown on a screen five stories high and seven stories wide. Admission fee. Schedule available at Welcome Center.
GALLERY 201. Albert Einstein Planetarium
Lectures on the night sky and multimedia programs on astronomy and space are presented in the domed theater. The planetarium projector simulates the nighttime sky and the motions of the Sun, Moon, and planets. Admission fee for most shows.
GALLERY 203. Sea-Air Operations
Aircraft carrier operations from 1911 to the present
CARRIER HANGAR DECK. Major aircraft from different periods in sea-air history
BOEING F4B-4. Biplane built for the US Navy and Marine Corps
DOUGLAS SBD-6 DAUNTLESS. Type of carrier-based dive bomber used during most of World War II
The Grumman FM-1 Wildcat was the Navy’s main carrier fighter for the first two years of World War II. This version has a mechanism that allows the wings to fold back against the fuselage for a compact fit on the flight deck.
GRUMMAN FM-1 WILDCAT. Basic US Navy and Marine Corps fighter aircraft at the start of World War II
DOUGLAS A-4C SKYHAWK. First-line naval attack aircraft of the 1950s and 1960s
CARRIER WAR IN THE PACIFIC. Depicts the six major aircraft-carrier battles in the Pacific during World War II
MODERN CARRIER AVIATION. Developments in carrier construction, operations, roles, and missions in the nuclear age
The North American P-51D Mustang escorted high-altitude Allied bombers deep into Europe.
GALLERY 205. World War II Aviation
Fighter aircraft and related material from five countries
NORTH AMERICAN P-51D MUSTANG. An outstanding fighter airplane, used in every theater of the war
MITSUBISHI A6M5 ZERO FIGHTER. With excellent maneuverability and range, used throughout the war by the Japanese navy
SUPERMARINE SPITFIRE MARK VII. A later version of the legendary British fighter that helped defeat the Germans in the Battle of Britain
MESSERSCHMITT BF 109 GUSTAV. Principal Luftwaffe fighter and the major opponent of Spitfires, Mustangs, and US bombers
MACCHI C.202 FOLGORE. Most successful Italian fighter to see extensive service in the African campaign and in Italy and the Soviet Union
MURAL. Fortresses Under Fire, by Keith Ferris, 1976
GALLERY 206. Legend, Memory, and the Great War in the Air
The emergence of air power in World War I
PFALZ D.XII. German fighter aircraft used in Hollywood films about aviation in World War I
VOISIN VIII. Early type of night bomber, 1915
SPAD XIII SMITH IV. French fighter aircraft flown by US ace Ray Brooks of the 22nd Aero Pursuit Squadron
FOKKER D.VII. Considered the best German fighter aircraft of World War I
ALBATROS D.VA. German fighter aircraft that flew on all fronts during World War I
SOPWITH SNIPE. British aircraft considered to be one of the best all-around single-seat fighters, although it became operational only late in the war
GERMAN FACTORY SCENE. World War I mass-production techniques, with original equipment
HOLLYWOOD FILMS PORTRAYING A ROMANTIC IMAGE OF THE “KNIGHTS OF THE AIR.” Outside Gallery 206.
GOSSAMER CONDOR. First successful human-powered aircraft, 1977
A full-scale replica of the Voyager spacecraft is on display in the “Exploring the Planets” at the museum in Washington, DC.
GALLERY 207. Exploring the Planets
History and achievements of planetary exploration, Earth based and by spacecraft
VOYAGER. Full-scale replica of the spacecraft that explored Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune in the 1970s and 1980s
A PIECE OF MARS. Meteorite collected in Antarctica that came from Mars
SURVEYOR 3 TELEVISION CAMERA. Retrieved from the surface of the Moon by the Apollo 12 astronauts
THREE GENERATIONS OF MARS ROVERS. Full-scale models of the Mars rovers Spirit, Opportunity, and Curiosity, plus the backup vehicle for the Sojourner rover Marie Curie
NEW HORIZONS FULL-SCALE MODEL. The first spacecraft to explore Pluto
GALLERY 208. Barron Hilton Pioneers of Flight
Famous “firsts” and record setters
LOCKHEED SIRIUS TINGMISSARTOQ. Flown by Charles and Anne Lindbergh on airline route-mapping flights, 1930s
LOCKHEED 5B VEGA. First solo flight across the Atlantic by a woman, Amelia Earhart, 1932
FOKKER T-2. First nonstop US transcontinental flight, 1923
PIPER J-2 CUB. A stable and economical 1937 Cub light aircraft that made flying easy to learn and afford. This Piper J-2 is the first Cub built under the Piper name. Formerly known as the Taylor Cub, the J-2 model was soon modified into the world-famous Piper J-3 Cub.
“HOOPSKIRT,” LIQUID FUEL ROCKET. A 1928 invention of famed rocketry pioneer Robert Goddard
INTERACTIVE ACTIVITIES. Hands-on elements for all ages, including preschool children, throughout the gallery
BUD LIGHT SPIRIT OF FREEDOM GONDOLA. First solo flight around the world in a balloon, by Steve Fossett, 2002
HAWTHORNE C. GREY BALLOON BASKET AND EQUIPMENT. Ushered in the era of stratospheric balloon flights, 1927
DOUGLAS WORLD CRUISER CHICAGO. First around-the-world flight, 1924
EXPLORER II GONDOLA. In 1935, this cabin and its balloon rose to a height never before achieved and made valuable scientific observations.
BLACK WINGS: THE AMERICAN BLACK IN AVIATION. Exhibit chronicles the struggle of African Americans to earn a place in aeronautics and space flight in the United States
The 1903 Wright Flyer is the centerpiece of “The Wright Brothers & The Invention of the Aerial Age” gallery.
GALLERY 209. The Wright Brothers & The Invention of the Aerial Age
The story of how Wilbur and Orville Wright invented the airplane
1903 WRIGHT FLYER. The first heavier-than-air, powered aircraft to make a sustained, controlled flight with a pilot aboard
LETTER TO THE SMITHSONIAN. Read what Wilbur Wright wrote in 1899 in this copy of a letter to the Smithsonian asking for information about aeronautics.
STOPWATCH. The Wrights used this stopwatch to time their first flights.
ST. CLAIR BICYCLE. One of only five bicycles manufactured by the Wright brothers known to exist today
WIND TUNNEL INSTRUMENT. Replica of the lift balance with which the Wrights performed their pioneering wind-tunnel research
ORIGINAL FABRIC AND PROPELLER. Both were on the Wright Flyer when it flew at Kitty Hawk in 1903.
HANDS-ON MECHANISMS. Learn about wing warping and other pioneering inventions by the Wright brothers.
FIRST FLIGHT SIMULATIONS. Watch video reenactments of the first four flights of the 1903 Wright Flyer.
GALLERY 210. Apollo to the Moon
Triumph of human spaceflight in the 1960s and early 1970s, from Project Mercury through the Apollo Moon landings
F-1 ENGINE. Full-size, with cutaway of first-stage rocket engine used on the Saturn V rocket
SPACE TOOLS AND EQUIPMENT. Used to train for the Apollo missions
LUNAR SCENES. Showing the lunar rover and equipment deployed on the Moon’s surface
Using a rover like this one, Apollo 17 astronauts spent a record 22 hours exploring the lunar surface and collecting rock and soil samples.
LUNAR ROVER. The type of vehicle that astronauts drove on the Moon
SATURN BOOSTERS. Models of Saturn IB and Saturn V rockets
LUNAR SAMPLES. Four types of lunar soil and rocks
SPACE FOOD. How astronauts’ and cosmonauts’ food has changed
SPACESUITS. Worn on the Moon by Apollo astronauts
GALLERY 211. Flight in the Arts
Rotating Exhibits
GALLERY 213. Time and Navigation
How revolutions in timekeeping over three centuries have influenced how we find our way
WINNIE MAE. When Wiley Post’s Lockheed Vega Winnie Mae circled the globe two times in the 1930s, it was a breakthrough in air navigation.
VOLKSWAGEN TOUAREG STANLEY. Car that in 2005 won the DARPA Grand Challenge of having a vehicle navigate a complex course without a human driver
RAMSDEN DIVIDING ENGINE. This engine ultimately led to mass production of precision octants and sextants.
MARINER 10. A Flight-Qualified Spare of the Mariner 10, a spacecraft that used a gravitational assist from Venus to fly by Mercury three times in 1974 and 1975
SHIP’S INERTIAL NAVIGATION SYSTEM (SINS). A system of gyroscopes, accelerometers, and computers that was used to steer submarines
Mural Master Study: Horizontal by Robert T. McCall, 1975, acrylic on canvas, 23 × 90 in. (58 × 229 cm).