Lockheed Vega
This bright red Lockheed Vega 5B was flown by Amelia Earhart on two history-making flights in 1932: the first solo flight by a woman across the Atlantic Ocean and the first solo flight by a woman across the United States. Sturdy, streamlined, and fast, the innovative Vega was the first design of Lockheed Aircraft and was favored by record-setting pilots.
On display in Barron Hilton Pioneers of Flight, Gallery 208.
Learn more about the Lockheed Vega.

Able the Space Monkey
In May 1959, a female rhesus monkey named Able and a companion squirrel monkey named Baker were launched into space to test the physiological effects of space travel on living beings. Able died that same year of an infection and was preserved for posterity. In the Museum, Able is shown strapped into the specially designed “couch” in which she flew into space. She and the couch fit inside the protective capsule displayed below.
On display in Apollo to the Moon, Gallery 210.
Learn more about Able.
Learn more about the Able-Baker Experiments.

The 1903 Wright Flyer
On December 17, 1903, at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, the Wright Flyer became the first powered, heavier-than-air machine to achieve controlled, sustained flight with a pilot aboard. On its first flight the Wright Flyer flew just 120 feet for only 12 seconds, but it represents humankind’s first leap into the air, however tentative. In designing the Wright Flyer, the Wrights used their proven biplane configuration, which was rooted in their initial 1899 kite design. Key to the Flyer’s success was its three-axis control system, which featured wing-warping for lateral balance, a moveable rudder, and an elevator for pitch control.
On display in Wright Brothers & The Invention of the Aerial Age, Gallery 209.
Learn more about the 1903 Wright Flyer.

Supermarine Spitfire F. Mk. VIIc
A legend in British air history, it successfully defended England against the Luftwaffe in the Battle of Britain, and throughout the war it saw service on every major front. Performance and handling were superb for flying sorties. In all, 20,351 Spitfires were built.
On display in World War II Aviation, Gallery 205.
Learn more about the Supermarine Spitfire.

Tuskegee Airmen
Activated in March 1941, the all-black 99th Fighter Squadron became the first squadron of black pilots to face combat in World War II. Having trained at the airfield at Tuskegee Institute in Alabama, the squadron and subsequent black military groups trained there became known as the Tuskegee Airmen. More than 60 years after the end of World War II, Congress awarded the Tuskegee Airmen this Gold Medal.
See the "Black Wings" exhibit in the Barron Hilton Pioneers of Flight, Gallery 208.

Lunar Lander
This is the type of vehicle used to land on the lunar surface by astronauts in the Apollo missions to the Moon. This one is a real lander whose mission was canceled. The lower halves of six of these vehicles are still sitting on the lunar surface. The upper halves carried the astronauts back to their command module for return home.
On display in Lunar Exploration Vehicles, Gallery 112.
Learn more about Lunar Module #2.

Lunar Rover
Battery-powered lunar rovers increased the distance an astronaut could travel. The Apollo 11 astronauts on foot covered only .25 kilometers (.16 miles); with the rover, Apollo 17 astronauts traveled more than 36 kilometers (22 miles). The one on display in the museum is a test vehicle. The three used on the Moon remain there today.
On display in Apollo to the Moon, Gallery 210.
Learn more about the Lunar Roving Vehicle.

Bell X-1 Glamorous Glennis
On October 14, 1947, the Bell X-1 became the first airplane to fly faster than the speed of sound. Piloted by U.S. Air Force Capt. Charles E. "Chuck" Yeager, the X-1 reached a speed of 1,127 kilometers (700 miles) per hour, Mach 1.06, at an altitude of 13,000 meters (43,000 feet). Yeager named the airplane "Glamorous Glennis" in tribute to his wife.
On display by the Planetarium entrance above Milestones of Flight, Gallery 100.

Apollo-Soyuz Test Project
In July 1975 two manned spacecraft were launched into Earth orbit -- one from Kazakstan, the other from Florida. Their rendezvous in orbit fulfilled a 1972 agreement between the Soviet Union and the United States to participate in a joint venture in space. Control centers in Moscow and Houston exercised joint duties through a cooperative exchange of tracking data and communications. The crews visited each other's spacecraft, shared meals, and worked on various tasks during several days together in space.
On display in Space Race, Gallery 114.

Lockheed F-104 Starfighter
Known as "the missile with a man in it," the stubby-winged Starfighter was the first U.S. jet fighter in service to fly Mach 2, twice the speed of sound. NASA flew this F-104A for 19 years as a flying test bed and a chase plane. The Museum's Starfighter has a NASA paint scheme, unlike the one in the movie, which is a U.S. Air Force version.
On display by the Planetarium entrance above Milestones of Flight, Gallery 100.

V-2 rocket
The real V-2 rocket is not yellow and black like in the movie, but rather white and black. The V-2 rocket, developed and used by the Germans during World War II, was the world's first large-scale liquid-propellant rocket vehicle, the first modern long-range ballistic missile, and the ancestor of today's large-scale liquid-fuel rockets and launch vehicles. The rocket was dubbed V-2, or “Vengeance Weapon Two,” by Dr. Josef Goebbels' Propaganda Ministry when its existence was publicly announced in November 1944, two months after it was first deployed as a weapon.
On display in Space Race, Gallery 114.

Pershing II and SS-20 missiles
The Pershing-II and SS-20 were regarded as the most threatening missiles in their class, and were banned by the Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces Treaty in December 1987.
On display in Milestones of Flight, Gallery 100.