The National Air and Space Museum is undergoing a monumental multi-year renovation, which began in 2018. Transforming every visitor's experience, the museum will use creative and dynamic techniques to engage visitors while they are at the museum and after they leave. All 23 exhibitions will be completely reimagined, with new presentation spaces and attractions.
Building on a commitment from Congress, we will raise $250 million from leaders in the aerospace industry and people like you to dramatically transform our exhibitions and renovate the entire Museum, inside and out.
From the first airplane, to landing on the Moon, exploring the planets, to exploring speed on planet Earth, our eight newly-opened galleries cover all this and more. Discover the stories there are to explore in the newly transformed wing of the Museum.
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The Kenneth C. Griffin Exploring the Planets exhibition probes the science and history of our understanding of planets and moons. The exhibition is arranged around dynamic, immersive audiovisual experiences to simulate different planetary landscapes and present visitors a view of standing on other planets.
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The Destination Moon exhibition explores the extraordinary combination of motivations, resources, and technologies that made it possible for humans to go to the Moon. The exhibition’s highlights include the Apollo 11 Command Module Columbia, Neil Armstrong’s Apollo 11 spacesuit, and a Saturn V engine.
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The One World Connected exhibition tells the story of how flight fostered two momentous changes in everyday life: the ease in making connections across vast distances and a new perspective of Earth as humanity’s home. Featuring an array of satellites, the exhibit asks visitors to consider how global interconnection touches their lives and imagine how advances in technology might impact our future.
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Between the first flights at Kitty Hawk and the opening guns of WWI, the design and construction of aircraft and engines became a global industrial enterprise. The Early Flight exhibition uses artifacts such as the 1909 Wright Military Flyer and the Blériot XI to explore the impact of the airplane on politics and international relations. Mechanical interactives allow visitors to operate different types of control systems and interact with digital representations of early aviation pioneers.
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The Thomas W. Haas We All Fly gallery celebrates how the availability of different types of aircraft made it possible for a wide range of people to fly. The exhibition takes visitors through the many different forms of general aviation from aerobatics and air racing to gliders and ultralights to business aviation to agriculture and firefighting. Interactive elements put visitors in the cockpit.
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The Nation of Speed exhibition recounts humankind’s desire to become the fastest on land, sea, air, and space in the pursuit of commerce, power, and prestige. This gallery is a portrait of human ingenuity and will explore how the pursuit of speed has shaped American culture and our national identity.
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The Wright Brothers exhibition provides visitors unprecedented access to the iconic 1903 Wright Flyer while unraveling the story of invention and innovation.
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America by Air explores the history of air transportation in America and the ways that improvements in technology have revolutionized air travel. This rendering shows a revamped approach to the Museum’s commercial aviation gallery.
A mission this ambitious is impossible without you.
Building on a commitment from Congress, we will raise $250 million from leaders in the aerospace industry and people like you to dramatically transform our exhibitions and renovate the entire Museum, inside and out. Every gift brings us closer to our $250 million goal. Donate today and take your place in the history and future of air and space.