Explore Nearby Museums
 Updated: 8/25/2012 
National Air And Space Museum
Washington, District of Columbia
Description

The Smithsonian Institution's National Air and Space Museum maintains the largest collection of historic air and spacecraft in the world. It is also a vital center for research into the history, science, and technology of aviation and space flight, as well as planetary science and terrestrial geology and geophysics.

The Museum has two display facilities. The National Mall building in Washington, D.C. has hundreds of artifacts on display including the original Wright 1903 Flyer, the Spirit of St. Louis, the Apollo 11 command module, and a lunar rock sample that visitors can touch. The Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center displays many more artifacts including the Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird, Boeing B-29 Superfortress Enola Gay and Space Shuttle Discovery.

The Museum currently conducts restoration of its collection at the Paul E. Garber Preservation, Restoration, and Storage Facility in Suitland, MD. For years, this facility also displayed many of the Museum's artifacts kept in storage. Only guided tours allowed access to this portion of the collection. The new Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center displays most of the aircraft and spacecraft previously stored at Garber, many never seen before in a museum setting. The Center will also eventually become the Museum's primary artifact restoration facility.

Artifact Collections

The National Air and Space Museum holds in trust some 50,000 objects, including aircraft, spacecraft, engines, rockets, uniforms, spacesuits, balloons and artwork. A wide variety of these artifacts are on display at the National Mall building and the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center.

Research Collections

The Department of Collections and Research at the National Air and Space Museum consists of five research and curatorial divisions. Each division participates in the collection of artifacts, research related to the collections, and preparation of museum exhibitions. The Archives Division is responsible for the Museum's document and photographic collections. The Collections Division is concerned with artifact management, restoration, and preservation. The Aeronautics and Space History Divisions conduct historical research related to aviation and space history, and the Center for Earth and Planetary Studies utilizes the results of solar system exploration data in scientific studies of the Earth and other planets.

Programs

The National Air and Space Museum offers a variety of free educational programs for school groups and organized youth groups. Here you will find information on educational activities at the Museum as well as resources provided for classroom learning.

Library
Open to outside researchers and the public by appointment

Please call for an appointment as far in advance of your planned visit as possible since space is limited and the reading room may be temporarily closed to accommodate Museum functions. When you arrive at the National Air and Space Museum, please report to the Security Desk adjacent to the Independence Avenue entrance and have them call the Library. We will send down a staff member to escort you to the Library. You will be issued a temporary visitor’s badge at this time.

Research on most topics can be completed in the main National Air and Space Museum Library Reading Room. Because the collections of the National Air and Space Museum Library and the National Air and Space Museum Archives are co-located in the National Air and Space Museum, researchers working here may also make use of the collections of the National Air and Space Museum Library Archives. A reference archivist is on duty in the reading room.

Access: Scholars

Appointment required: True

Services
Giving

Your contributions - large or small - go a long way in helping the National Air and Space Museum achieve its mission to commemorate, educate, and inspire. Whether you join The National Air and Space Society, include us in your estate planning, place a name on our Wall of Honor, or volunteer your time to enhance the experience of other visitors, we are truly grateful.

Membership

Membership in the National Air and Space Society directly supports the mission and programs of the National Air and Space Museum. Your generosity provides for the important preservation and restoration work necessary to save rare and significant air and space artifacts and the programs that educate and spark the imaginations of millions of children every year. During this second century of flight, you can do your part to help inspire our next generation to enter the boundless frontiers of air and space.

Gift Shop
Online Gift Shop
Restaurant
Group Tours
Address
Independence Ave at 4th Street, SW
Washington, DC 20560
phone: 202-633-1000
e-mail: info@si.edu
home page: www.nasm.si.edu/
Report Incorrect Data
Submit Events
Hours of Operation
Daily10 AM - 5:30 PM

Open every day except December 25.

March 17 - September 3
Daily10 AM - 7:30 PM
Museum Type(s)
Children's
Culture
History
Library
Military
Planetarium
Science
Specialized
DISCLAIMER
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MUSEUM CONFERENCES

Virginia Association of Museum's 2025 Annual Conference!

March 15 - 18, 2025

Blacksburg, Virginia

Virginia Association of Museum's 2025 Annual Conference!

Saturday, March 15 - Tuesday, March 18, 2025

The Inn at Virginia Tech

Blacksburg, Virginia

Hosted by: Virginia Association of Museums

2025 Conference Theme: Looking Back to the Future For the past several years, many museums have been deeply involved in planning programs and events to observe the 250th birthday of the United States of America. While this is certainly an occasion to celebrate, this anniversary also forces us as a society to reckon with ongoing inequities and challenges within the US that go back to its inception. As museums ask their audiences to look to the past to understand the present and shape a better future, perhaps now is a good moment in time for Virginia’s museum community to take pause and look back at its own history. We are excited to see you in Blacksburg in March 2025 as we take a moment in our hectic schedules to take pause and visit our diverse pasts. Let’s uncover and share our histories to build a more resilient Virginia museum community.

Ohio Museum Asociation 2025 Annual Conference - Athens

March 29 - 31, 2025

Athens, Ohio

Ohio Museum Asociation 2025 Annual Conference - Athens

Saturday, March 29 - Monday, March 31, 2025

TBA

Athens, Ohio

Hosted by: Ohio Museums Association

"Innovation: Museums and Reaching our Potential

The heart of innovation is transformation – shaking up our established way of doing things by introducing new methods, new ideas, and new approaches to both obstacles and opportunities

Museums across Ohio are not just adapting, but innovating to reach their full potential and better serve their communities. No matter their role, museum professionals are introducing forward-thinking perspectives and initiating creative solutions to launch the field into a future where museums can remain trusted and relevant community cornerstones

How can your museum stay true to mission and serve your community in new and meaningful ways? How can we as museum professionals meet the challenges of the future with reinvigorated enthusiasm

Join us in Athens, March 29-31 as we explore these topics and more at the 2025 Ohio Museums Association’s Annual Conference: Innovation: Museums and Reaching our Potential.

For more information, please email oma@ohiohistory.org.

North Carolina Museums Council 2025 Annual Conference

March 30 - 31, 2025

Raleigh, North Carolina

North Carolina Museums Council 2025 Annual Conference

Sunday, March 30 - Monday, March 31, 2025

TBA

Raleigh, North Carolina

Hosted by: North Carolina Museums Council

Museums Unwalled: Expanding Horizon

This theme highlights the importance of museums as dynamic entities that engage with communities, foster education, drive cultural change and often go beyond the building itself. By focusing on areas such as community engagement, digital and virtual presence, interdisciplinary collaborations, sustainability, accessibility, and cultural diversity, we aim to provide a comprehensive and enriching experience for all attendees

The primary objective is to provide a platform for museum professionals and others working in the industry to share ideas, best practices, resources and innovative approaches that demonstrate how museums can reach audiences in and beyond our physical spaces. We aim to inspire attendees to think broadly about the potential of their institutions and to foster a spirit of innovation and community engagement.

By facilitating discussions, workshops, and networking opportunities, the conference will empower current and future museum professionals and to expand their impact, embrace new challenges, and create meaningful connections with their audiences and communities.

Arkansas Museums Association 2025 Conference

March 31 - April 3, 2025

Washington, Arkansas

Arkansas Museums Association 2025 Conference

Monday, March 31 - Thursday, April 3, 2025

Historic Washington State Park

Washington, Arkansas

Hosted by: Arkansas Museums Association

"From the Ground Up: Cultivating Essential Skills in Museums

This year, the AMA conference theme is "From the Ground Up: Cultivating Essential Skills in Museums" As museum professionals we learn and use a wide variety of tools and skills every day

The Arkansas Museums Association is planning its 2025 Annual Conference, which will be hosted by Historic Washington State Park on March 31-April 3, 2025.

The goal of the conference is to support and foster the museum community through a mix of speakers as well as workshops, practical and informative presentations, in-depth discussions, and examples of projects and initiatives that are relevant to museums in Arkansas. Arkansas Museum Association members take ownership in the conference experience as presenters, speakers, panelists, facilitators, and workshop leaders.

For more information, please email arkansasmuseums@gmail.com.

New York Museum Association 2025 Conference in Ithaca, NY

April 5 - 8, 2025

Ithaca, New York

New York Museum Association 2025 Conference in Ithaca, NY

Saturday, April 5 - Tuesday, April 8, 2025

Ithaca Downtown Conference Center

Ithaca, New York

Hosted by: Museum Association of New York

Cultivating Community: Looking In, Reaching Ou

Who are the members of our communities? How can we evaluate our internal structures to help us better understand our organization, define our audiences, and serve our communities? How do we bring all communities together to support our field? How can we support and develop our internal community of staff, volunteers, and board members? How can we advocate for funding that meets operational capacity needs and includes equitable staff support? What changes do we need to make to prioritize the health and well-being of our museum workforce that will support the longevity and sustainability of our institutions and strengthen our ability to build meaningful community relationships

MANY presents conference sessions, workshops, panel discussions, facilitated discussions, and peer-to-peer learning experiences focusing on our 2025 conference theme, Cultivating Community: Looking In, Reaching Out. We will be gathering in Ithaca, in the Southern Tier Region of our state, located on the traditional homelands of the Gayogo̱hó:nǫɁ (the Cayuga Nation)

MANY’s annual conference helps museum professionals build a network to share perspectives, tools, and skills that develop excellence across the field. Our goal is to nurture a community of practice, advance institutional change, and create an inclusive and expansive New York team of collaborators who learn together.

view all conferences
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