Exhibitions

See the Bell X-1, the first aircraft to break the sound barrier, in the same Hall as Friendship 7, NASA astronaut John Glenn’s spacecraft in which he became the first American to orbit the Earth. The Boeing Milestones of Flight Hall showcases some of the museum’s most iconic objects. 

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.

The Kenneth C. Griffin Exploring the Planets Gallery probes the science and history of our exploration of planets and moons, telling the stories of the diversity of worlds circling our Sun and how exploring those worlds helps enhance our own understanding of Earth.

Who decides who goes to space? Why do we go? And what will we do when we get there? The Futures in Space exhibition explores the potential near- and long-term futures that may emerge with advances in space exploration technology and enterprise.

The development of more advanced and precise air power after World War II.

The new Aerospace and Our Changing Environment exhibition focuses on how aerospace innovations help us understand climate change while providing new technologies to respond to the challenge. 

It's not for military, commercial, or business — sport aviation is all about flying for pleasure. Learn about gliders, homebuilts, ultralights, and more.

The Wright Brothers & The Invention of the Aerial Age explores who Wilbur and Orville Wright were, what they achieved and how they did it, and how the world first reacted to their revolutionary invention.

The concept of gliders propelled by small engines emerged in the 1920s, but didn't rise in popularity until the 1970s.