Space & Aviation

Thomas W. Haas We All Fly celebrates the breadth and depth of general aviation and its deep impact on society. This gallery explores the many facets of general aviation, from sport to business to humanitarian, and introduces the variety of .... Shortened snippet. View full page for more details.

Between the first flights of the Wright brothers in 1903 and the outbreak of World War I in 1914, the airplane grew from an ancient dream into a reality that would shape the future. Early Flight uses artifacts like the Lilienthal Glider, 1909 .... Shortened snippet. View full page for more details.

One World Connected tells the story of how flight fostered two momentous changes in everyday life: the ease in making connections across vast distances and a new perspective of Earth as humanity’s home. Featuring an array of satellites and .... Shortened snippet. View full page for more details.

The invention of the airplane by Wilbur and Orville Wright is one of the great stories in American history. The Wright brothers’ invention not only solved a long-studied technical problem, but helped create an entirely new world. The Wright .... Shortened snippet. View full page for more details.

Featuring iconic vehicles from Mario Andretti’s Indy 500 winning race car to the Sharp DR 90 Nemesis, Nation of Speed paints a portrait of human ingenuity—the technology developed to propel people faster and faster—and explores how the pursuit .... Shortened snippet. View full page for more details.

The Destination Moon exhibition features iconic objects from the Museum's unrivaled collection of Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo artifacts, including Alan Shepard's Mercury spacesuit and spacecraft, a Saturn V F-1 engine, and Neil Armstrong's .... Shortened snippet. View full page for more details.

Watch from the mezzanine as museum specialists reconstruct, repair, and preserve the historic aircraft, spacecraft, and other treasures in the National Air and Space Museum's collection. The Mary Baker Engen Restoration Hangar is spacious .... Shortened snippet. View full page for more details.

The invention of the balloon struck the men and women of the late 18th century like a thunderbolt. From August to December 1783 enormous crowds gathered to watch one balloon after another rise above the Paris rooftops, carrying the first human .... Shortened snippet. View full page for more details.