Press Releases

The National Air and Space Museum and Google Arts & Culture are celebrating the anniversary of Space Shuttle Discovery’s first launch, Aug. 30, 1984, by launching artifacts, exhibits and tours into the virtual world. Now, more than 200 space shuttle artifacts, several digital exhibitions, virtual tours and a 360-degree video inside Discovery with astronauts Kathryn Sullivan and Charles Bolden can be viewed online on Google Arts & Culture.

The National Air and Space Museum will receive Sean D. Tucker’s Oracle Challenger III high-performance aircraft for the future “We All Fly” exhibition. The museum has received a $10 million gift from the Thomas W. Haas Foundation for construction of the gallery, which will be named the “Thomas W. Haas We All Fly” gallery in recognition of the foundation’s gift. The Oracle Challenger III will be displayed at the entrance to the gallery, the first exhibition at the museum in more than four decades to be dedicated exclusively to general aviation.

The Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum will present “Mars Day!,” its annual tribute to the Red Planet Friday, July 20, from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. at the museum on the National Mall. This is the one time of year the museum’s scientists from its Center for Earth and Planetary Studies bring their work to the museum galleries and interact with visitors, discussing their research and their work on NASA missions.

The National Air and Space Museum will host “Asteroid Day: Defending Planet Earth” June 30 at the museum in Washington, D.C., and online. A panel of asteroid experts will discuss the threats asteroids pose and how to protect the Earth from the danger they may cause. This is part of the global “Asteroid Day” event, marking the 110th anniversary of the largest impact-related incident in modern history when, June 30, 1908, an asteroid caused a massive air blast that flattened thousands of square miles in Siberia.

The National Air and Space Museum’s Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Virginia, will show free outdoor movies June 23 through Aug. 25. This unique experience will give visitors and locals alike a chance to watch Hollywood favorites under the stars on the Udvar-Hazy Center’s outdoor airplane ramp. Each of the aviation- and space-themed films will begin at dusk; doors will open at 8 p.m. Visitors are encouraged to bring chairs and blankets. Films may be canceled due to inclement weather.

The National Air and Space Museum’s Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Va., will host family-friendly activities throughout the summer to meet every staycationer’s needs. Special themed events and family days are scheduled, including the popular “Innovations in Flight Family Day and Aviation Display,” which will return June 16, Solstice Saturday and “STEAM Family Day.” Free concerts will run May through August in the Space Hangar.

The National Air and Space Museum will launch the “She Can” two-week STEM summer camp this July and August at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Virginia. The camp is designed for students with an interest in aviation and seeks to empower young women to succeed in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) disciplines. Open to sixth- through eighth-grade girls, the museum will offer the free aviation-focused experience to low-income students in Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia. The museum will accept applications until June 18 for the camp’s 60 total slots.

The National Air and Space Museum received a $1 million gift from AAR Corp., its chairman and CEO David P. Storch and the family of its founder Ira J. Eichner. The gift supports the construction of the new Design Hangar in the transformed “How Things Fly” exhibition at the flagship building in Washington, D.C., scheduled to open in 2024.