The National Air & Space Museum

A Place of Dreams

My job as an auditor with the U.S. Department of the Interior affords me the opportunity to visit Washington, DC at least once, and sometimes more often, each year. On those trips, I always plan to spend some personal time at my favorite spot in the Nation's Capital -- the Smithsonian Institution's National Air & Space Museum. Since my first visit in 1970, I must have walked through the Museum's exhibits at least 40 to 50 times so far. And each time, there's been something new and exciting to explore.

Of course, in 1970 the Museum's collection wasn't housed in its current building on the National Mall. At that time, some exhibits -- including the Wright Kitty Hawk Flyer, the Spirit of St. Louis, and the X-15 -- were located in the Arts and Industries Building (the red building right next to the Smithsonian Castle). Other exhibits were in a corrugated metal structure behind the Arts and Industries Building. And the Museum's missles and rockets were standing guard outdoors, between the two buidings.

The Spirit of St. Louis hangs above the X-15 in the Smithsonian Institution's Arts and Industries Building (July 1970)

Eventually, the Smithsonian obtained the necessary funds to construct a new building on the Mall to house the National Air & Space Museum. I had the opportunity to visit Washington and the Museum in September 1975, almost a year before the new National Air & Space Museum building officially opened, and I had my nose and camera lens pressed against the new building's glass walls, trying to get a peek at the wonders that were being assembled inside.

A Douglas DC-3 is prepared for hanging in the new National Air & Space Museum's Air Transportation gallery (September 1975)

The Museum's new building opened in July 1976, in time for the American Bicentennial celebration. Since that time, more people (over 100 million) have walked through its exhibits than any other museum in the world. It is truly a place of dreams to many. It's exhibits, IMAX films, and planetarium shows are updated on a regular basis, giving return visitors an ever-changing view of the history of air and space exploration.

Today, the National Air & Space Museum is the most visited museum in the world! As you enter, you'll be in the Milestones of Flight gallery, which chronicles the most important steps in mankind's conquest of the skies and space, from the Wright Brothers' Kitty Hawk Flyer to NASA's Apollo 11 Command Module (July 1993)

However, the aircraft, spacecraft, and other artifacts on display at the National Air & Space Museum represent less than 10 percent of the Museum's total collection. Many historical aircraft and spacecraft were in storage at the Paul Garber Restoration Facility in Maryland. Others were mothballed in the dry desert at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Arizona. Still more, including the Space Shuttle Enterprise and the SR-71 Blackbird were in storage at Dulles International Airport in suburban Virginia.

To preserve and display these priceless treasures, the National Air & Space Museum embarked on a project to construct a new facility on 185 acres near Dulles Airport. Although this project was authorized by Congress and the President of the United States, there were no funds in the Federal budget to fund the project. All funds to design and construct this new National Air & Space Museum Center came from voluntary donations. By becoming a member of the National Air & Space Society, I made a small contribution to seeing this addition to the National Air & Space Museum become a reality. I encourage every one of you who has an interest in preserving the great heritage of mankind's (not only the United States') exploration of air and space to do likewise. For a contribution of as little as $35 to the nonprofit National Air & Space Society, you too can help to give a home to the 300+ aircraft and spacecraft in storage -- a home where you can visit them whenever you're in the Nation's Capital.

A model of the Space Shuttle Enteprise as it will be displayed at the Udvar-Hazy Center, which was dedicated on December 11, 2003 near Dulles Airport in suburban Virginia

[Photo: National Air & Space Museum]

If you're interested in learning more about the National Air & Space Museum, come join me on a Museum Tour Through Aviation History. I'll use the backdrop of the Museum's collection to present a rather detailed, illustrated history of some of the key moments in the development of aircraft and spacecraft.

For More Information

For more information on the National Air & Space Society, write to:

The National Air & Space Society
National Air & Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution
Independence Avenue at 6th Street, SW
Washington, DC 20560

For more information on the aircraft and spacecraft now on display at the National Air & Space Museum, check out the NASM's official web site or look for the following books:

For an even more exciting look at the Museum's exhibits and the milestones of air and space exploration, look for the following video series:

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Last Updated: January 10, 2004