Learn about America's first swept-wing jet fighter, the F-86 Sabre, and its arch rival, the Soviet MiG-15. You'll also find out how helicopters came into their own during these conflicts.
One World Connected tells the story of how taking to the skies and stars 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.
The Wright brothers inaugurated the aerial age with their historic first flights at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, on December 17, 1903. The influence of their invention is beyond measure. The transport by air of goods and people, quickly and over great distances, and the military applications of flight technology have had vast economic, geopolitical, and cultural impact around the globe. The Wrights helped fashion a radically new world.
Learn about the broad range of science performed by vehicles that travel into the Earth's atmosphere and beyond. The relatively young field of space science ranges from Earth observation to planetary exploration to astronomy and astrophysics.
Thomas W. Haas We All Fly celebrates the breadth and depth of general aviation and its deep impact on society. This gallery explores the many facets of general aviation, from sport to business to humanitarian, and introduces the variety of careers available in aviation.
While the German Luftwaffe demonstrated early successes in the use of airpower during World War II, and spurred many technological advancements, faulty military strategy and mismanagement of aircraft development programs ultimately led to its downfall.
Destination Moon shows how an extraordinary combination of motivations, resources, and technologies made it at long last possible for humans to walk on the Moon.
Between the first flights of the Wright brothers in 1903 and the outbreak of World War I in 1914, the airplane grew from an ancient dream into a reality that would shape the future.
Virtual Tours
Walk through our exhibitions without ever leaving your computer with these virtual tours.