A Museum Tour Through Aviation History

Flight and the Arts (Gallery 211)

At different times in its existence, the Museum has housed special art exhibits in its Flight and the Arts gallery. These have ranged from exhibits showcasing the forward-thinking visions of various science fiction artists of the 1940s and 1950s, to exhibits of art and props from the "Star Trek" television series and "Star Wars" movies, to airline and travel posters from aviations rich past, to the more traditional aviation-related works of accomplished artists. The Museum also owns a huge collection of art pieces that it maintains in its archives and occasionally displays throughout the Museum. Below as just a few examples.

PanAm Advertisement Poster
(1930s)

[All Art Photos from the NASM]

"Threatening Weather" by Wilma Zella Wethington
(1924)

"P-40B, Pappy Boyington" by Stan Stokes
(1982)

"Thunder in the Canyon" by William S. Phillips
(1985)

"The Exploration of Mars" by Chesley Bonestell
(1953)
[Copyright (c) Bonestell Space Art]

"First Step on the Moon" by Norman Rockwell
(1966)

Samuel Langley IMAX Theater

The Museum is also home to the Samuel Langley IMAX Theater, where aviation-related films are shown on a screen measuring 50 feet tall by 75 feet wide. Some of the remarkable films shown since the Museum's opening in 1976 include To Fly -- a celebration of flight, The Dream Is Alive -- a close look at the space shuttle, Blue Planet -- a tour of the Earth as seen from the space shuttle, Mission to Mir -- a guided tour of the Russian space station, and Cosmic Voyage -- a trip to the outer reaches of the universe and the inner space of the microscopic world.

Albert Einstein Planetarium

Likewise, the Museum's Albert Einstein Planetarium has presented a variety of shows on its 70-foot dome that take visitors to the far reaches of the night sky. Some of the more recent Planetarium shows have included And a Star to Steer Her By -- a look at the art of celestial navigation -- and daily live lectures on that night's sky.

That brings to an end -- for now -- this virtual tour of aviation and spaceflight history using the collection of the National Air and Space Museum as a backdrop. But let's take a preview of what's to come in the near future, a tour of the new Steven Udvar-Hazy Center.

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Last Updated: January 10, 2004