Our Archives Department supports the Museum's mission and assists scholars and researchers by acquiring, preserving, organizing, and describing the documentary evidence of aerospace history.

The Archives' collections span the history of flight from ancient times to the present day and include a wide range of visual and textual materials, including documents, photographs, motion picture film and video, and more than two million technical drawings.

The National Air and Space Museum Archives Reading Room is open to researchers by appointment only. Learn more about planning your visit. 

A scrapbook page featuring newspaper clippings about Ruth Law, as well as ribbons.

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About the Archives Collection Film Archives Learn More about the Film Archives Photo Archives Learn More about the Photo Archives Audio Collections Learn More about the Audio Collections Aircraft History Cards Learn More about Aircraft History Cards Technical and Scale Drawings Learn More about Technical and Scale Drawings Aircraft Technical Manuals Learn More about Aircraft Technical Manuals Captured Technical Documents Learn More about Captured Technical Documents Technical Reference Files Learn More about Technical Reference Files