For centuries, humans have dreamed of flying to the Moon. In 1959, our machines actually began to go there. A decade later, humans walked on its surface. 

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 Apollo 11 spacesuit and command module Columbia. The gallery shows how an extraordinary combination of motivations, resources, and technologies made it possible for humans to walk on the Moon—and how and why we are going back today.


Learn about our donors 

Location in Museum

National Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC
Gallery 206
Map of the second floor of the National Air and Space Museum's Washington, D.C., building, highlighting in yellow Gallery 206 on the south side of the building, two rooms west of center

Related Topics

Take a Look Inside the Gallery

Preview the exhibit with a teaser video... ...or take a step inside! Take a virtual tour of the exhibit
Dive Deeper into Destination Moon
Apollo Astronaut Life Tools and Technology from the Apollo Program Apollo 11 Launch Vehicle and Spacecraft
Lunar Rocks A Lunar Landscape Apollo 13 A Soviet Moonshot: Interpreting the Diaries of Vasily Mishin How Do You Get to the Moon? What Really is Astronaut Food? Building a Moon Rocket Science in Orbit During Apollo Ten Scientific Discoveries from the Apollo Missions Why Did We Stop Going to the Moon? Picturing Earth, Inspiring Artists, and Shifting Perspectives

The Museum gratefully acknowledges those who have generously supported this gallery.

Jeff Bezos

Apollo 11 Commemorative Coin Program Joe Clark

Charles and Lisa Simonyi Fund for Arts and Sciences

Bruce R. McCaw Family Foundation

Aerojet Rocketdyne

Elizabeth H. and James S. McDonnell III Fund
(at the St. Louis Community Foundation)
and the JSM Charitable Trust

Bonnie and Wick Moorman

Phillip N. and Mary A. Lyons

Gregory D. and Jennifer Walston Johnson

John and Susann Norton

Neil Webber

Barry D. Friedman

Leora and Derek Kaufman

FedEx Corporation

Milann H. Siegfried

Joan and Donald Beall

Hon. Linda Hall Daschle and Hon. Tom Daschle

Jamie and Kasey McJunkin

OMEGA

Bob O'Rear & Family

Robert Procop

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