Press Releases

Findings from a recently published paper led by Smithsonian senior scientist Thomas R. Watters reveal evidence that flow in the mantle of Mercury may have thickened its crust and formed long clusters of mountainous fault scarps. The paper “Mercury’s Crustal Thickness and Contractional Strain,” published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters, presents new models of the thickness of Mercury’s crust. Clusters of fault scarps, some extending over thousands of kilometers, are found in areas of thick crust, suggesting a connection on Mercury between mantle flow and tectonics like that found on Earth.

The National Air and Space Museum's Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center will host its annual "Innovations in Flight Family Day and Aviation Display," Saturday, Aug. 21, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The event will feature the museum's newest artifact, Air Tractor AT-301/400A "Dusty Crophopper."

The Smithsonian will receive a $200 million donation from Jeff Bezos, founder and executive chair of Amazon, and founder of aerospace and space flight company Blue Origin. The donation is the largest gift to the Smithsonian since the Institution’s founding gift from James Smithson in 1846. A $70 million portion of the donation will support the renovation of the National Air and Space Museum and $130 million will launch a new education center at the museum.  

The Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum has raised $165 million of the $250 million campaign goal to reimagine all of its galleries and presentation spaces. The new exhibits are part of the overall seven-year project to completely renovate the museum’s building on the National Mall began in 2018. The project includes replacing its exterior stone, infrastructure and mechanical systems, funded through federal appropriations, and the redesigning of all of its exhibitions, made possible through the museum’s “Ignite Tomorrow” campaign. The first eight new galleries on the west end of the building are scheduled to open late next year.

The Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum awards its Michael Collins Trophy annually for Lifetime and Current Achievements. The 2021 recipients are Gene Kranz for Lifetime Achievement and the SpaceX Crew Dragon Team for Current Achievement; they will receive their awards at a ceremony at the museum’s Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Virginia.

The Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum has received $1 million from Flexjet to support the new “Thomas W. Haas We All Fly” gallery. The exhibition will celebrate general aviation by telling the story of its many aspects in the United States and how it affects the average visitor’s daily life. The gallery is part of the museum’s ongoing transformation of all its galleries at its flagship building in Washington, D.C., and is scheduled to open in 2022.

The Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum has received a $10 million gift from Citadel Founder and CEO and philanthropist Ken Griffin to support the creation of the new “Exploring the Planets” exhibition.

The Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum has received $3 million from the Daniels Fund to support the new “Jay I. Kislak World War II in the Air” gallery.

The Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum has received $5 million from David M. Rubenstein in support of the newly redesigned “The Wright Brothers & the Invention of the Aerial Age” exhibition. The gift will contribute to the safe preservation and display of the 1903 Wright Flyer, one of the Smithsonian’s iconic artifacts and the centerpiece of the gallery. The redesign of the exhibition is part of the museum’s ongoing transformation of all its galleries in the flagship building in Washington, D.C., and is scheduled to open in 2022.