National Air and Space Museum to reopen

Eight new and renovated exhibitions, the planetarium, museum store, and Mars Café will open on the building’s west end. The museum is undergoing a seven-year renovation that began in 2018 and includes redesigning all 23 exhibitions and presentation spaces, complete refacing of the exterior cladding, replacement of outdated mechanical systems, and other repairs and improvements.

Only half of the building will be opening, and great interest in visiting is expected. Free timed-entry passes will be required to ensure visitors have an enjoyable experience. The passes will be available on the museum’s website September 14.

Exhibitions Opening October 14:

• “America by Air”
• “Destination Moon”
• “Early Flight”
• “Kenneth C. Griffin Exploring the Planets Gallery”
• “Nation of Speed”
• “One World Connected”
• “Thomas W. Haas We All Fly”
• “Wright Brothers and the Invention of the Aerial Age”

The renovated museum will feature hundreds of new artifacts to the building such as Jackie Cochran’s T–38, the airplane Cochran flew when she became the first woman to break the sound barrier; the Sharp DR 90 Nemesis air racer, the most successful aircraft in air racing history, flown by pilot and co-designer, Jon Sharp; and Sean D. Tucker’s custom-built aerobatic biplane, the Aviation Specialties Unlimited Challenger III. The full-size X-Wing Starfighter that appeared in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, on loan from Lucasfilm, will also be displayed for the first time and located outside of the planetarium.

Visitors will see favorite artifacts presented in new settings. The Apollo 11 command module Columbia will be housed in a custom-designed, climate-controlled case as the centerpiece of the “Destination Moon” exhibition alongside Neil Armstrong’s Apollo 11 spacesuit. The 1903 Wright Flyer will be displayed in a dynamic new environment that better tells the story of the invention of flying and its implication on world history.

airandspace.si.edu