Smithsonian Institution National Air and Space Museum

Smithsonian Institution National Air and Space Museum preserves and interprets the history of aviation and spaceflight for a national and international audience. It operates two major public sites in the Washington, DC region: the museum on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., and the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Virginia. Its collections include aircraft, spacecraft, missiles, engines, instruments, archives, and related artifacts that document flight from its earliest experiments through modern aerospace science and exploration. The museum’s work combines exhibitions, collections stewardship, research, and education. It presents iconic objects such as the 1903 Wright Flyer, the Spirit of St. Louis, the Bell X-1, Friendship 7, and the Apollo 11 Command Module Columbia, using them to explain technological innovation, military and civil aviation, planetary exploration, and the human experience of flight. Beyond gallery interpretation, the museum supports scholarship through its archives, library, and fellowship programs, including opportunities for researchers working in aerospace history and related fields. Education is a central part of its mission. The museum serves students, teachers, families, and lifelong learners through school programs, digital learning resources, lectures, films, and public events. It also runs youth-focused initiatives such as the National Air and Space Museum’s STEM in 30 program, designed for middle school classrooms, and aviation- and space-themed educational activities that connect museum collections to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics learning. As part of the Smithsonian Institution, the museum functions as both a leading research center and one of the United States’ most prominent museums devoted to air and space history.