National Air and Space Museum
On the 12th of August 1946, President Harry S. Truman signed an act of Congress establishing the National Air Museum. This new institution inherited a chaotic collection of artifacts from World War I and World War II. Many items sat in temporary sheds or outdoors while officials searched for a permanent home. The Stringfellow steam engine became the first actively acquired piece added to the collection in 1989. Before that, kites donated by the Chinese Imperial Commission since 1876 remained part of the holdings. Large missiles and rockets displayed themselves in what staff called Rocket Row outside the Smithsonian Castle. A Martin bomber and a LePere fighter-bomber occupied the Aircraft Building known as the Tin Shed. Curator Paul E. Garber spotted a wooded area in Maryland from the air in 1952. Bulldozers from Fort Belvoir cleared the land to create the current Garber Facility.
Gyo Obata designed the main building on the National Mall using four simple marble-encased cubes. Pink Tennessee marble covered the exterior mass similar to the nearby National Gallery of Art. Three spacious steel-and-glass atria connected these cubes to house larger exhibits like missiles and spacecraft. The west glass wall functioned as a giant door for installing airplanes into the hall. Gilbane Building Company completed construction in 1976 just before the United States Bicentennial festivities began. The museum opened its doors on the 1st of July 1976 under Director Michael Collins who had flown to the Moon on Apollo 11. Later renovations replaced the original glass curtain walls in 2001 due to ultraviolet radiation damage. By the 30th of June 2015, officials sought approval for a $365 million renovation project. Quinn Evans Architects designed the improvements including triple glazed thermally broken panels set in aluminum frames. The entire façade would be replaced again using Tennessee marble to match the original aesthetic.
The collection includes the Apollo 11 Command Module Columbia which carried astronauts Buzz Aldrin, Neil Armstrong, and Michael Collins to the Moon. John Glenn flew the Friendship 7 capsule during his historic space mission. Charles Lindbergh piloted the Spirit of St. Louis on the first solo nonstop transatlantic flight in 1927. A model of the starship Enterprise from Star Trek: The Original Series sits among the spacecraft displays. The Wright brothers Wright Flyer airplane stands near the entrance hall as one of the oldest artifacts. Over 61 aircraft and 51 large space artifacts filled the main museum by the 1st of June 2007. The museum also holds COSTAR corrective optics removed from the Hubble Space Telescope after STS-125. A backup mirror for the Hubble telescope remains in storage since plans to return the satellite were scrapped following the Columbia disaster. In 2018, Schmitt Space Communicator arrived with an on-flight internet connection launched by Solstar on a New Shepard rocket.
The Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center opened at Dulles International Airport on the 15th of December 2003. Private funding supported this addition to house restoration facilities and large-scale aircraft. Mary Baker Engen Restoration Hangar houses the museum's restoration and archival activities within the annex. Paul E. Garber Preservation, Restoration, and Storage Facility operates separately in Suitland, Maryland for other preservation efforts. The center allows staff to work on massive objects that cannot fit inside the National Mall building. This facility supports the ongoing maintenance of the collection while keeping the main museum open to visitors. The two locations together manage over 2,000 smaller items alongside the major spacecraft and aircraft displays.
Controversy erupted in March 1994 over a proposed commemoration of the atomic bombing of Japan. The exhibit centerpiece was the Enola Gay B-29 bomber that dropped Little Boy on Hiroshima. Air Force Magazine leaked the first draft script containing sentences about war vengeance and western imperialism. Veterans groups led by the Air Force Association argued the exhibit politicized history and insulted U.S. airmen. Editorials called the institution unpatriotic due to the political nature of the initial proposal. Congress conducted line-by-line reviews of the script resulting in a less radical display seen in 1995. Museum director Martin O. Harwit unilaterally reduced predicted U.S. casualties by 75% on the 9th of January 1995. Eighty-one members of Congress called for his resignation on the 24th of January 1995. Harwit resigned on May 2 after facing harsh backlash from multiple organizations. The final exhibition drew nearly four million visitors before closing in May 1998 despite being described as radically reduced.
A $360-million renovation started in 2018 to address structural failures threatening the National Mall building. By August 2024, thirteen galleries remained open while ten others were expected to reopen by 2026. The museum closed briefly during early 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic alongside other Smithsonian museums. On the 3rd of March 2022, the facility temporarily reopened to continue operations through late March. A three-story Jeff Bezos Learning Center replaced the demolished food court pavilion which had closed in 2017. The western side featuring eight new galleries and the planetarium reopened on the 14th of October 2022 as Phase I of the project. Officials projected the total cost would reach $1 billion including $676 million for construction and $250 million for new exhibits. Solar panels planned for installation cover both the roof and Independence Avenue side of the structure. The Tennessee marble façade cracked and warped so badly that it could fall off the building without replacement.
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Common questions
When did President Harry S. Truman sign the act of Congress establishing the National Air Museum?
President Harry S. Truman signed an act of Congress establishing the National Air Museum on the 12th of August 1946.
Who designed the main building of the National Air and Space Museum on the National Mall?
Gyo Obata designed the main building on the National Mall using four simple marble-encased cubes covered in pink Tennessee marble.
What artifacts are included in the collection of the National Air and Space Museum?
The collection includes the Apollo 11 Command Module Columbia, John Glenn's Friendship 7 capsule, Charles Lindbergh's Spirit of St. Louis, and the Wright brothers Wright Flyer airplane.
Where is the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center located relative to the main museum?
The Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center opened at Dulles International Airport on the 15th of December 2003 to house restoration facilities and large-scale aircraft.
Why did Martin O. Harwit resign as director of the National Air and Space Museum?
Museum director Martin O. Harwit resigned on May 2 after facing harsh backlash from multiple organizations regarding a controversial exhibit about the atomic bombing of Japan.
When will the renovated galleries of the National Air and Space Museum reopen by 2026?
By August 2024, thirteen galleries remained open while ten others were expected to reopen by 2026 following a $360-million renovation that started in 2018.