Space Day is an annual favorite at the National Air and Space Museum where visitors enjoy STEM-inspired hands-on activities, meet an astronaut, and learn about space from experts from the Museum and NASA.  All of the activities take place amid the awe-inspiring collection of historic aviation and space artifacts in the Museum in Washington, DC.

Event times are subject to change—please check at the Welcome Center for the most up-to-date schedule.

ASTRONAUT PRESENTATIONS

Walking in Space
A presentation by NASA astronaut Patrick Forrester
In Moving Beyond Earth (Gallery 113)
11:00 am

International Collaboration on the ISS
A presentation by NASA astronaut Patrick Forrester and ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Paolo Nespoli
In Moving Beyond Earth (Gallery 113)
12:30 pm

Meet an Astronaut
A presentation by ESA astronaut Paolo Nespoli
In Moving Beyond Earth (Gallery 113)
2:00 pm

SPEAKERS AND PERFORMANCES

The Chromatics
A performance of AstroCapella, fun astronomy-themed music developed by astronomers and educators
In America by Air (Gallery 102)
10:30 am and 2:00 pm

Tour of Outside the Spacecraft: 50 Years of Extra-Vehicular Activity
A tour of our newest exhibition with exhibition curator Jennifer Levasseur
In Outside the Spacecraft (Gallery 211)
Time 1:00 pm

Exploring Diversity in the Space Program
A presentation by Richard Paul and Steven Moss about their book, We Could Not Fail: The First African Americans in the Space Program; Richard Paul and Steven Moss will also sign copies of the book, available for purchase.
In America by Air (Gallery 102)
11:45 am and 1:15 pm

Flights of Fancy Story Time
A reading of Space Walk by Salina Yoon
In Barron Hilton Pioneers of Flight Gallery (Gallery 208)
11:00 am and 1:30 pm

ALL DAY PRESENTATION STATIONS (10:00 AM – 3:00 PM)

Learn about VEX Robotics
In the South Lobby (Gallery 108)

NASA and ILC Dover
Learn about spacesuits and space tools
In Space Race (Gallery 114)

NOVAAR (Northern Virginia Association of Rocketry)
See a display of model rockets and learn about how to get involved with model rockets
In Space Race (Gallery 114)

Astronaut Training School
Receive glove training, suit up (astronaut dress up), and collect moon rocks (cooperative play)
In Apollo to the Moon (Gallery 210)

Hands-on Activities
Make a “Snoopy Cap” just like Neil Armstrong’s, design an astronaut mission patch, and build space tools
In Barron Hilton Pioneers of Flight Gallery (Gallery 208) and Outside the Spacecraft (Gallery 211)

Learn About Space Suit Layers
Make an astronaut paper doll
In America by Air (Gallery 102)

Outside the Spacecraft Discovery Station
Learn about astronaut training tools and pick up a scavenger hunt to find pictures of the tools in the gallery
In Outside the Spacecraft (Gallery 211)

Observe the Sky
Weather permitting
In the Phoebe Waterman Haas Public Observatory

This program is made possible by the generous support of Lockheed Martin.