The Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum doubles the spooky fun this year with Halloween-themed evening programs at its flagship building in Washington and the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Va.
On Thursday, Oct. 26, the building on the National Mall hosts “The Dark Side of the National Air and Space Museum,” featuring bizarre and puzzling tales of aviation and space exploration. Visitors will howl as staff and volunteers recount the Great Moon Hoax of 1835, the obsessions of Howard Hughes, the hallucinations of astronomer George Ellery Hale, the disappearance of Amelia Earhart and other haunted headlines. The program begins at 6 p.m. throughout the building.
At 7:30 p.m. in the Lockheed Martin Theater, special guest Marc Okrand describes how he created the Klingon language featured in Star Trek motion pictures and television programs. Okrand will be on hand afterward to autograph his popular books on the subject.
The Udvar-Hazy Center hosts the museum’s second annual “Air & Scare” beginning at 4 p.m.on Saturday, Oct. 28. Spectacular stories from the stratosphere and beyond will haunt the aviation and space hangars, along with a host of hands-on activities. The youngest visitors will enjoy hearing the true tale of space spider Anita and get to make their own orbital arachnid to take home. There also will be a special free screening of “Wallace and Gromit in a Grand Day Out” in the IMAX theater, plus free simulator rides, a dress-up corner, face painting and Halloween bags filled with goodies. Close encounters with the moon come courtesy of powerful telescopes set up outside the Udvar-Hazy center. Parking at the facility is free after 4 p.m.
Admission to both events is free but reservations are required and can be made through the museum Web site, www.nasm.si.edu. Attendees are encouraged to come in their favorite flight-themed costume.
“The Dark Side of the National Air and Space Museum” and “Air & Scare” are made possible through the generous support of Masterfoods USA.
The museum's Mall building is located at Sixth Street and Independence Avenue S.W. The Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center is located off of Route 28 near Washington Dulles International Airport. Both facilities open daily at 10 a.m. (Closed Dec. 25.) Admission is free, but there is a $12 fee for parking at the Udvar-Hazy Center before 4 p.m.
After flying in on her one-seater broom, aeronautics curator Dorothy Cochrane haunts the National Air and Space Museum's annual "Air & Scare" at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center.
A human-sized, NASA-built android used for 1960s spacesuit testing is displayed in the James S. McDonnell Space Hangar at the National Air and Space Museum's Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center.