July 16, 2009 - January 13, 2010
Flight and the Arts, 2nd Floor, East Wing, Gallery 211
On view are approximately 40 original paintings and drawings by Apollo 12 astronaut Alan Bean, who was the only artist to walk on the lunar surface. His works enable viewers to experience a world 238,000 miles away as seen first hand through his eyes. Also on view are artifacts from the museum's collection similar to the lunar equipment depicted in the paintings.
Organized to celebrate the 40th Anniversary of the first Apollo Moon Landings.
April 9, 2009 - October 9, 2009
West End Gallery, 1st Floor, Gallery 104
On view are 35 works by Chinese painter and former air traffic controller Wang Ming. Since leaving China in 1951, Ming used his art to build bridges of understanding between people of all nationalities and cultures. Although his work is rooted in traditional Chinese forms and calligraphy, he borrows from abstract expressionism by using such nontraditional materials as acrylic paints and Pellon (fabric interfacing). In the 1960s, he exhibited with such luminaries of the Washington Color School as Kenneth Noland and Gene Davis.
April 24, 2008 - Indefinitely
West End, suspended above Gallery 104
On view are 6 aircraft -- Military Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) -- that represent a cross-section of modern unmanned flight systems technology. These aircraft are commonly used by all four military services around the globe to perform many types of missions, including reconnaissance, surveillance, target acquisition, bomb damage assessment, and attack. The evolution of unmanned military aircraft began during World War I and continues today.
- Permanent
1st Floor, NW Wing, Gallery 102 (previously Air Transportation)
How did the first commercial airline companies get off the ground? How has the experience of air travel changed over the past century? How will the politics of today affect the way we fly tomorrow? These are some of the issues in the development of commercial air transport this new gallery explores, while expanding on the history of air transportation from only a few years after the invention of powered flight to the commercial challenges and technical sophistication of the 21st-century jet age.
- Indefinitely
Gallery 209, 2nd Floor, East Wing
To commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Wright Brothers' historic first flight at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, on December 17, 1903, this exhibition presents the Wrights' technical achievements and examines the cultural impact of early powered flight. The centerpiece of the gallery is the original 1903 Wright Flyer, displayed on the ground for the first time since acquired by the Smithsonian in 1948. Also on view are 250 photographs and 150 other artifacts, including the stop watch used to time the first powered flights, a Wright wind tunnel test instrument used in unlocking the secrets of aerodynamics, a reproduction of the Wright Brothers' 1899 experimental kite, and full-size reproductions of their 1900 and 1902 experimental gliders.
Hands-on stations and interactive computer stations: both provide an understanding of flight
Free Family Guide
- Permanent
Explore the Universe, Gallery 111, First Floor, East Wing
Through objects, interactives, and videos, this exhibition explains what scientists think our universe is like, how the present scientific view of the universe came to be, how it is being shaped today, and what mysteries remain. With the development of each new tool to explore the universe -- telescopes, photography, spectroscopy -- our understanding of the universe changed dramatically. Despite these new advances, many of our questions remain unanswered: What is the universe? How big is it? How old is it? How did it begin? A changing section on what's new in our exploration of the universe will keep the exhibition up to date and attempt to answer these questions.
- Permanent
Space Race, Gallery 114, 1st Floor, East Wing
This major exhibition traces the competition in space between the U.S. and the former Soviet Union from its origins in the 1950s to the recent international cooperation. Objects include a Soyuz TM-10 spacecraft, a Kosmos 1443 "Merkur" spacecraft, and a space suit made for the never-accomplished mission to land a Russian on the Moon.
- Permanent
How Things Fly, Gallery 109, 1st floor, East Wing
This interactive gallery explains the basic principles of air and space flight through hands-on activities. The gallery features a Cessna 150, a section of a Boeing 757 fuselage, a model of the International Space Station, and more than 50 interactives.
- Permanent
Great War in the Air, Gallery 206, Second Floor, West Wing
This gallery features the emergence of air power in World War I. Gear, pontoons, and a streamlined boat hull examine the real nature of WWI aviation, plus the power of legend and public perception in history.
- Permanent
Beyond the Limits, Gallery 213, Second Floor, East Wing
The gallery illustrates how the electronic computer has revolutionized aerospace engineering, aviation, and spaceflight. Computers are used to design and build air- and spacecraft, monitor air traffic, navigate and control flights, and train pilots.
- Permanent
Looking at Earth, Gallery 110, First Floor, East Wing
This gallery traces the development of technology for viewing Earth from balloons, aircraft, and spacecraft. The quest for ever-higher, ever-clearer images of the Earth is reflected in photographs and spacecraft images from a few feet to 7.5 million miles away. Some photographs are mural-size.
- Permanent
Golden Age of Flight, Gallery 105, First Floor, West Wing
This gallery covers the years between the World Wars (1919-1939) but focuses on the period shortly after Lindbergh's flight in 1927 through 1939. Described as "golden" because of many advances in aviation technology, record-making flights, and intense interest by the public in aviation events, the era produced many of today's legendary aviation heroes. Aircraft and engines, newsreel coverage of aviation events, photographs, models and reproductions, and newspaper headlines are included. Opening coincided with the 60th anniversary of the takeoff of the Douglas World Cruisers, a major event during the Golden Age.
- Permanent
Jet Aviation, Gallery 106, First Floor, West Wing
This gallery illustrates the first 40 years of jet aviation (1939-1979), including the evolution of commercial and military jet aircraft.
- Permanent
Early Flight, Gallery 107, First Floor, West Wing
This re-created indoor aeronautical exhibition (circa 1913) highlights the early history of the airplane from antiquity through the first decade of powered flight. Period furnishings, talking mannequins, and ragtime music combine to bring back the special ambience of the time.
- Permanent
Lunar Exploration Vehicles, Gallery 112, First Floor, East Wing
This gallery highlights NASA lunar surface exploration.
Highlights include:
• Apollo Lunar Module: a duplicate of the spacecraft that carried astronauts to the surface of the moon in the Apollo Program, late 1960s and early 1970s
• Surveyor Spacecraft: soft-landed on the moon to study lunar soil composition and physical properties of the lunar surface, 1966-68
• Lunar Orbital Spacecraft: circled the moon to perform mapping of the entire lunar surface, 1966-67
• Ranger: provided the first closeup photographs of the lunar surface, 1962-65
• Clementine: designed for a two-month mapping mission in orbit around the moon in 1994. Clementine provided answers to many of the questions about the moon that remained from the Apollo era.
- Permanent
Milestones of Flight, Gallery 100, First Floor
This gallery features famous airplanes and spacecraft that exemplify the major achievements in the history of flight.
- Permanent
Pioneers of Flight, Gallery 208, Second Floor
Note: This gallery closed for renovation February 1, 2009, and is anticipated to reopen early May 2010 (TBA).
This gallery features famous "firsts" and record setters. Since the Wright brothers flew at Kitty Hawk, men and women have had to break both physical and psychological barriers to flight. In these historic aircraft, individuals strived to claim their place in aviation history.
- Permanent
Sea-Air Operations, Gallery 203, Second Floor, West Wing
This gallery explores overwater flight, focusing on carrier operations from 1911 to the present.
- Permanent
World War II Aviation, Gallery 205, Second Floor, West Wing
This gallery highlights land-based aviation during World War II and features fighter aircraft from each of 5 countries.
- Permanent
Apollo to the Moon, Gallery 210, Second Floor, East Wing
This gallery traces NASA's manned space program beginning with Project Mercury's Freedom 7 (5/5/61); then the Gemini Project (1965-66); followed by the Apollo Program (1967-1972), with Apollo 17 as the last manned exploration of the moon.
- Permanent
Exploring the Planets, Gallery 207, Second Floor, West Wing
This gallery highlights the history and achievements of planetary exploration, both Earth-based and by spacecraft.
Highlights include:
• Voyager: full-scale replica of the spacecraft that explored Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune in the 1970s and 1980s
• A Piece of Mars? A meteorite fragment discovered in Antarctica in 1979 and thought to be from Mars (placed on view 6/16/1990)
• Surveyor 3 television camera: retrieved from the surface of the Moon by the Apollo 12 astronauts
Air and Space Museum Stores offer a variety of merchandise including souvenirs, books, DVDs, models, posters, clothing and more.
Air and Space Museum cafés:
Smithsonian Theaters are out of this world!
Experience flight in the IMAX® Theater, featuring a variety of adventures presented on a six-story-high screen.
Call 202-633-4629 or visit www.si.edu/imax for showtimes.
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