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The Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum maintains the world's largest and most significant collection of aviation and space artifacts, encompassing all aspects of human flight. It operates two landmark facilities that, together, welcome more than eight million visitors a year.
The National Air and Space Museum (NASM) of the Smithsonian Institution, is a museum in Washington, D.C., in the United States dedicated to human flight and space exploration. Established in 1946 as the National Air Museum, its main building opened on the National Mall near L'Enfant Plaza in 1976.
The National Air and Space Museum has two locations: one in Washington, DC and one in Virginia. Both locations are open every day except Christmas, and admission is free for all. Free timed-entry passes are required for the Museum in Washington, DC.
Launch into the history of flight by surrounding yourself with icons of air and space travel. The flagship building on the National Mall in Washington, D.C, exhibits aircraft, spacecraft, missiles, rockets, and other flight-related artifacts.
The flagship building on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., houses many of the icons of flight, including the original 1903 Wright Flyer, Charles Lindbergh’s Spirit of St. Louis, Chuck Yeager’s Bell X-1, John Glenn’s Friendship 7 spacecraft, and a lunar rock sample that visitors can touch.
The Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center displays thousands of aviation and space artifacts, including the Space Shuttle Discovery, a Blackbird SR-71, and a Concorde, in two large hangars. Hours.
The Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. has hundreds of original, historic artifacts on display, including the 1903 Wright Flyer; the Spirit of St. Louis; the Apollo 11 command module Columbia; and a Lunar rock sample that visitors can touch.
The Air and Space Museum collection dates back to the closing of the 1876 Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia, when the Smithsonian received a group of kites from the Chinese Imperial Commission. In 1889, the Stringfellow engine became the first object accessioned into the collection.
The West Wing of the National Air and Space Museum Prepares to Take Flight. The Smithsonian museum reopens to the public, transforming the way we tell the story of aviation. October 2022
The Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum is one of the most popular museums in the world. It is currently undergoing a large-scale, multi-year renovation that will introduce all new galleries and public spaces. The first phase of the renovation was unveiled in Oct. 2022.
