Press Releases

The Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum has accepted into its collection an aerial prototype of the Ingenuity Mars Helicopter. The prototype has been donated to the museum by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

The 20th anniversary of opening the National Air and Space Museum’s Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center will take place in December. To commemorate this milestone, a celebration at the museum in Chantilly, Virginia, will take place Saturday, Dec. 2, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

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. 28, 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.

The Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum has received over $11 million from the U.S. National Science Foundation to support the creation of the new “Discovering Our Universe” exhibition. The gallery will illuminate how the development of new and more precise tools transformed humankind’s understanding of the origin, content, and fate of the universe. The “National Science Foundation Discovering Our Universe” exhibition, which is anticipated to open in 2026, is part of the museum’s ongoing transformation of its galleries at its flagship building in Washington, D.C.

This fall, the National Air and Space Museum’s evening lectures will explore the stories of women and people of color in aviation and spaceflight, from NASA’s first female astronauts to the desegregation of commercial aviation. Lectures take place at one of the museum’s two locations and will also be streamed online. All lectures are free to the public, but they require advance registration.

El Museo Nacional del Aire y el Espacio de la Smithsonian ha publicado «AeroEspacial», una serie limitada de su pódcast «AirSpace» que se centra en relatos de la historia y cultura latina en el centro de la aviación y el espacio. 

The Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum has launched “AeroEspacial,” a limited series of its “AirSpace” podcast that focuses on stories of Latino history and culture at the heart of aviation and space. 

The Smithsonian has chosen the architectural firm Perkins&Will to design the Bezos Learning Center, which will be located on the east side of the National Air and Space Museum at its flagship location on the National Mall.