Aviation Museums › Science & Technology
The Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C., is one of the most visited museums in the world, dedicated to human flight and space exploration. Its flagship building on the National Mall opened to the public on July 1, 1976, and it operates a second display facility, the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, near Dulles International Airport in Chantilly, Virginia.
Notable Exhibits
- 1903 Wright Flyer — The Wright brothers' first powered airplane, which made the first successful powered flight on December 17, 1903.
- Ryan NYP "Spirit of St. Louis" — Charles Lindbergh's monoplane used for the first nonstop solo transatlantic flight from New York to Paris in 1927.
- Apollo 11 Command Module Columbia — The spacecraft that carried Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins on the first crewed lunar landing mission in July 1969.
- Bell X-1 — The rocket plane in which Chuck Yeager became the first person to fly faster than the speed of sound on October 14, 1947.
The museum was established on August 12, 1946, when President Harry Truman signed Public Law 722 founding the National Air Museum; it was renamed the National Air and Space Museum in 1966, and the landmark National Mall building opened for the U.S. Bicentennial on July 1, 1976.
A piece of wood and fabric from the 1903 Wright Flyer was flown to the Moon aboard Apollo 11 in 1969.
Admission is free but timed-entry passes are required for the museum in Washington, D.C.
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