What To See At The Smithsonian’s Air And Space Museum Reopening

Jen DiMascio October 06, 2022
Wright Flyer
Credit: Jim Preston/Smithsonian Institution National Air and Space Museum

Powered flight began on Dec. 17, 1903, with the Wright Flyer, a canard biplane with one 12-hp, four-cylinder engine that drove two pusher propellers.

Spirit of Columbus
Credit: Jim Preston/Smithsonian Institution National Air and Space Museum

The Spirit of St. Louis still resides in the Air and Space Museum, but the “Thomas W. Haas We All Fly” exhibition also features the Spirit of Columbus, a Cessna 180 in which Jerrie Mock became the first woman to complete a solo flight around the world.

Robert Fulton, Jr.’s, Airphibian
Credit: Jim Preston/Smithsonian Institution National Air and Space Museum

Robert Fulton, Jr.’s, Airphibian is an aircraft with detachable wings, tail and propeller that enabled him to drive it around like a car.

Apollo 11 command module
Credit: Mark Avino/Smithsonian Institution National Air and Space Museum

Do not miss the “Destination Moon” gallery, with the Apollo 11 command module. When you turn the corner, do look up to see inside a rocket engine.

“One World Connected” exhibition
Credit: Jim Preston/Smithsonian Institution National Air and Space Museum

Find the location of communication satellites on a giant globe and see the innards of a spacecraft at the “One World Connected” exhibition. The aim is to show how aircraft and spacecraft have connected humanity around the globe.

“Kenneth C. Griffin Exploring the Planets” gallery
Credit: Jim Preston/Smithsonian Institution National Air and Space Museum

The “Kenneth C. Griffin Exploring the Planets” gallery draws on research from scientists involved in current planetary missions.

rovers
Credit: Jim Preston/Smithsonian Institution National Air and Space Museum

The renovated museum displays the “Marie Curie” rover, a spare from the Sojourner mission, a Mars Exploration Rover testbed and a full-scale model of Curiosity.

xwing
Credit: Jim Preston/Smithsonian Institution National Air and Space Museum

The newly renovated museum weaves iconic pop culture touchstones including the Star Wars X-Wing starfighter together with real-world artifacts.

The Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum reopens on Oct. 14 with eight new galleries full of interactive exhibits, new artifacts and old ones as well. It is a more inclusive museum than in the past—featuring the WR-3 air racer built by Neal Loving, the first African American certified to race, and a T-38 flown by Jackie Cochran, the first woman to break the sound barrier. See the Apollo 11 command module, along with Alan Shepard’s Mercury spacesuit and a room dedicated to the 1903 Wright Flyer, with acoustics that evoke the beach at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. And for sci-fi fans, a full-size X-Wing Starfighter from “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker,” is on loan from Lucasfilm.

Jen DiMascio

Based in Washington, Jen previously managed Aviation Week’s worldwide defense, space and security coverage.