National Air and Space Museum

I remember when I visited the museum for the first time. The impression was great. Finally be there experiencing my dream to know every square centimeter of this amazing place, it was a dream come true. Enjoy the history of aviation and space and acquire knowledge about everything that has been done it was very rewarding. Thank you very much.

I was born in Washington and grew up in Kensington MD. I remember when the rockets were displayed outside by the castle and was thrilled when a new museum dedicated to Air and Space was announced. When it opened it was the talk of the town. It was mobbed and visits were so exciting. I especially enjoyed the movie "To Fly" on the massive screen. It was so immersive. Also, The Spirit of St Louis and touring early airliners...and astronaut food in the cafeteria!

I remember when my mom took me and my childhood best friend to the Air and Space Museum to see Barbara Bush. She read a book to a group of children, including the two of us, in the front open room underneath a plane. I don't remember the name of the book she read, but that memory has stuck with me for years.

I remember when I was dating my first love. She told me about how much she had loved to visit the Air and Space Museum as a child, and how she loved the opportunity to touch a moon rock. She would always think about how many other people had touched that same rock, and how it was like holding hands with hundreds of thousands of people who had touched that rock before her. When she told me that story, I fell even more in love with her. Now when I think of the Air and Space Museum, I think about that time in my life and smile. I like to think the artifacts in the collection really do unite us humans through our collective urge to explore. Whether through the touch of a hand, or the touching of a rock from a million miles away, it reminds me that I'm not alone.

I have been a salesman for many years . In April 2000 I had the privilege to sell a car to an elderly gentleman
who's name was Heber Lloyd Jr . ( he was in his late 80's at the time and drove extremely well !) . In my conversation with him he stated he was an Eastern Airlines pilot at Bradley Airport in CT. from the 1930's into the early 1960's . He flew many airliner's from Martin 202's to 404's , but he was the first pilot of the actual DC-3 that currently is in the NASM ! Every time I visit , I always pause at that DC-3 and think of him .
My Thanks and Happy 40th Birthday NASM !!!!!!!!!!!
George L. Goggi

I first walked into the Milestones of Flight gallery when I was a child, roughly 35 years ago. I remember being completely in awe of all the awesome air and spacecraft on display. It's been a constant draw for me throughout my life, and is a big part of who I am. I got to see the newly renovated Milestones of Flight gallery and it's so great to see all my old favorites in new locations with updated information. Especially my good friend the Viking Lander, which I visit every time. I've been to the museum dozens of time and never get tired of seeing the exhibits.

NASA had me and John, (We were Parachute riggers) work on their re-entry systems, first a folding Regallo wing, then a Parachutes. We modified John Glenn's Parachute for Friendship 7.

Seeing the capsules that made space history up close, I always remember that it was actual men who chose to strap themselves into those tiny machines on the top of giant controlled explosions in order to do things nobody else could do. Just to see those machines up close is awe inspiring. What insanity or bravery. As much as the idea of space intrigues me, those guys did it in those tin cans. Truly amazing.

Seeing the capsules that made space history up close, I always remember that it was actual men who chose to strap themselves into those tiny machines on the top of giant controlled explosions in order to do things nobody else could do. Just to see those machines up close is awe inspiring. What insanity or bravery. As much as the idea of space intrigues me, those guys did it in those tin cans. Truly amazing.

On business from the UK , I was in Pennsylvania for 2 weeks in the winter of '93 and spent the middle week-end of the trip driving a rental Ford in a snowstorm from Pittsburgh to Washington and back to visit the Air and Space museum. I remember the Mercury 7 capsule, Spirit of St. Louis, Lockheed Electra and much more. Definitely worth the hours on the (very slippery) road to experience this museum!

When I visited the Air and Space Museum, I remember seeing the flimsy little Wright Flyer. In 1903 it was the first craft to achieve heavier than air flight, when its intrepid pilot famously traveled 260 metres (852 feet) before crashing.

This year, in a single day, I flew a six-city, cross-Atlantic route for a distance of approximately 7000 km (3800 miles), at a cruising altitude of at least 9 km (30,000 feet) with hundreds of other passengers and crew. We obviously didn't crash. And that was a very ordinary journey.

I was in DC for a conference and visited the National Air & Space Museum for the first time. I spent hours and hours wandering the galleries, reading most of the text, becoming more and more spellbound by the artifacts from one exhibition to the next. One of the last things I stumbled on were some exhibit prototypes fashioned from Styrofoam and cardboard--testing interactives for the future "How Things Fly," which was still years from opening then. I left that day so proud of a national museum that was rooted in preservation and explanation but also pushing the boundaries for the future and seeking a better understanding of its visitors. And I keep going back.