The Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum reopens Friday, October 14, 2022, with eight new and renovated galleries in the west wing of its building in Washington, D.C. The planetarium and museum store will also reopen, along with the new Mars Café. The east wing of the museum will remain closed while it is renovated.

Press Release

“We are thrilled to finally unveil the first part of the newly renovated museum,” said Chris Browne, the John and Adrienne Mars Director of the museum. “Visitors will have a more modern and engaging experience, visiting favorite icons as well as many new artifacts never before seen at the museum in D.C. We hope each visitor will see themselves in these exhibitions and that young people will be inspired by all that is possible in aviation and space exploration.”

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Fact Sheets

A view of the America by Air gallery. Several large airplanes are suspended from the ceiling with smaller airplanes on the ground.
A view of the "America by Air" gallery

Multimedia

  • A view of the Wright Brothers gallery, with the Wright Flyer in the center surrounded by display panels and touch screens.
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    A view of the Wright Brothers & the Invention of the Aerial Age gallery. 

  • A view of the We All Fly Gallery. A large airplane can be seen hanging overhead and a case with a jacket in it viewable from the ground.
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    A view of the Thomas W. Haas We All Fly gallery. 

  • A view of the One World Connected gallery. There is a large glowing globe visible at the center of the room, images around it, and a silver and red plane hanging overhead.
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    A view of the One World Connected gallery. 

  • A view of the Kenneth C. Griffin Exploring the Planets Gallery. The overwhelming color of the gallery is purple. There is a model of a solar system hanging from the ceiling, with signage on the walls.
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    The Kenneth C. Griffin Exploring the Planets exhibition probes the science and history of our understanding of planets and moons. The exhibition is arranged around dynamic, immersive audiovisual experiences to simulate different planetary landscapes and present visitors a view of standing on other planets.

  • A view of the America by Air gallery. Several large airplanes are suspended from the ceiling with smaller airplanes on the ground.
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    America by Air explores the history of air transportation in America and the ways that improvements in technology have revolutionized air travel. This rendering shows a revamped approach to the Museum’s commercial aviation gallery.

  • A view of the Destination Moon gallery. Neil Armstrong's spacesuit and the command module Columbia are both visable.
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    The Destination Moon exhibition explores the extraordinary combination of motivations, resources, and technologies that made it possible for humans to go to the Moon. The exhibition’s highlights include the Apollo 11 Command Module Columbia, Neil Armstrong’s Apollo 11 spacesuit, and a Saturn V engine.

  • An overhead view of the Nation of Speed gallery. A Corvette and two suspended aircraft are visible.
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    The Nation of Speed exhibition recounts humankind’s desire to become the fastest on land, sea, air, and space in the pursuit of commerce, power, and prestige. This gallery is a portrait of human ingenuity and will explore how the pursuit of speed has shaped American culture and our national identity.

  • A view of the Early Flight gallery. Several biplanes are on view suspended from the ceiling.
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    A view of the Early Flight gallery. 

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  • A view of the Wright Brothers gallery, with the Wright Flyer in the center surrounded by display panels and touch screens.
  • A view of the We All Fly Gallery. A large airplane can be seen hanging overhead and a case with a jacket in it viewable from the ground.
  • A view of the One World Connected gallery. There is a large glowing globe visible at the center of the room, images around it, and a silver and red plane hanging overhead.
  • A view of the Kenneth C. Griffin Exploring the Planets Gallery. The overwhelming color of the gallery is purple. There is a model of a solar system hanging from the ceiling, with signage on the walls.
  • A view of the America by Air gallery. Several large airplanes are suspended from the ceiling with smaller airplanes on the ground.
  • A view of the Destination Moon gallery. Neil Armstrong's spacesuit and the command module Columbia are both visable.
  • An overhead view of the Nation of Speed gallery. A Corvette and two suspended aircraft are visible.
  • A view of the Early Flight gallery. Several biplanes are on view suspended from the ceiling.

Gallery Photo Albums

A conical brown command module seemingly floats in front of a photograph of the moon's surface and the sun behind it.

Highlights

From behind, the view of the Wright Flyer in the Wright Brothers gallery. It is a beige biplane.

Wright Brothers & the Invention of the Aerial Age

Several red and white airplanes on display at the Thomas W. Haas We All Fly Gallery

Thomas W. Haas We All Fly

A view of the One World Connected gallery featuring a large globe, a plane, and signs on the walls.

One World Connected

A view of the model of the solar system made out of large orbs.

Kenneth C. Griffin Exploring the Planets Gallery

Two silver airplanes suspended in midair. One large one is for Eastern Airlines, one smaller one reads TWA on the side.

America by Air

A view of the entrance of Destination Moon. A satellite and the second level are visible.

Destination Moon

A view of Nation of Speed featuring a sign that reads "Nation of Speed" and a blue and red race car.

Nation of Speed

A view of Early Flight featuring the Lilienthal Glider.

Early Flight

Two planes suspended in midair. One is larger with an orange stripe on the side, one smaller with blue and white paint. The smaller one is suspended upside down.

Additional Artifacts

B-Roll

A view of the Kenneth C. Griffin Exploring the Planets Gallery. The overwhelming color of the gallery is purple. There is a model of a solar system hanging from the ceiling, with signage on the walls.
A view of the "Kenneth C. Griffin Exploring the Planets Gallery."