Press Releases

The Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum will award its 2025 Michael Collins Trophy to Margaret Hamilton for Lifetime Achievement and the OSIRIS-REx Team for Current Achievement. These annual awards will be presented to this year’s recipients at a ceremony March 27 at the museum’s Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Virginia.

The Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum will offer an evening program exploring what it takes to create a museum exhibition and sharing stories behind the artifacts on display. “Air and Space After Hours: Innovating Galleries” will take place Thursday, Dec. 12, 6 to 8 p.m. at the museum’s flagship building in Washington, D.C. Free tickets are required and can be reserved on the museum’s website. This is the first program of the new Allan and Shelley Holt Innovations Series celebrating innovation at the museum. 

The National Air and Space Museum will offer free parking and other discounts at its Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Virginia, Nov. 11, in honor of all veterans and active-duty military personnel. A valid military ID is required to receive the special discounts.

The Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum will host its annual “Air & Scare” family day from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 26, at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Virginia. This year’s event will feature candy stations and spooky activities for all ages inside the museum and outdoors. Attendees will be required to reserve free timed tickets for the outdoor portion of the event in advance. Tickets are not required for the indoor Air & Scare activities or for touring the exhibits.

This fall, the National Air and Space Museum will present three evening lectures at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Virginia, exploring the stories of women and people of color in aviation and spaceflight. The museum’s fall aviation lectures will highlight women who have broken boundaries in military aviation and the museum’s marquee space lecture will celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Chandra X-ray Observatory. All lectures are free to the public and require advance registration. Each lecture will also be streamed live on YouTube. 

The Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum has welcomed a Boeing CV2 Cargo Air Vehicle (CAV) to the collection. This CAV was the first remotely piloted large eVTOL (electrical vertical takeoff and landing) aircraft to be flown in support of a commercial operation in the United States. The themed CAV is a gift from Boeing and Walt Disney Imagineering Research & Development and will go on display at the museum’s Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Virginia.

The Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum will serve as a major source of information, educational activities and experiences on and around the total solar eclipse taking place April 8. The next total solar eclipse will not be visible in the contiguous United States for over 20 years. 

Findings from a recently published paper led by Smithsonian senior scientist emeritus Thomas R. Watters reveal evidence that the deposits of the vast Medusae Fossae Formation (MFF) may contain a significant volume of water ice.