Christopher Moore received his BA in European History from the University of California, San Diego, and his MA in American History from George Mason University.
He curates the Museum’s collection of aircraft armament—including guns, cannon, missiles, and bombs—representing the technological history of the militarization of aircraft from World War I to the present. He also curates the Aeronautics Department’s model aircraft collection, including model aircraft propulsion. The collection, comprising more than 5,000 objects, documents the history of flight from models of the designs of pioneers such as Octave Chanute to models of the latest aircraft.The collection also contains some of the most significant and record-setting examples of recreational flying model aircraft as well as a comprehensive collection of model aircraft engines.He also manages the Aeronautics Department’s loan program, overseeing the origination and renewal of the loan of artifacts to outside institutions.
Prior to joining the Smithsonian, he served as an officer in the United States Coast Guard, specializing in aviation, navigation, and marine safety. He was also a collections specialist with the National Museum of American History before joining the National Air and Space Museum.
At the Museum he has assisted with several gallery projects and is currently serving on three gallery teams. He co-authored In the Cockpit II: Inside History-Making Aircraft of World War II and wrote articles for the publications, The National Air and Space Museum an Autobiography and Milestones of Flight: The Epic of Aviation with the National Air and Space Museum. He is a member of the American Alliance of Museums, The League of WWI Aviation Historians, and the Vintage Radio Control Society.