Some World War I vintage planes
The National Air Museum was established as part of the Smithsonian in 1946 with artifacts displayed in the Arts and Sciences Building on the Mall. In the 1960's rockets were put on display outsde the Building and "and space" was added to the museum's name. In 1976 a new Air and Space Building was opened on the Mall near the Capitol, greatly expanding the space. My kids were small when we first visited it in the late 70's. The Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, located adjacent to the Dulles International Airport, opened in December 2003. A year later the Space Hanager opened with the Space Shuttle Enterprise as its main attraction. The museum also has a preservation, restoration and storage facility in Suitland, Maryland. With the opening of the Udvar-Hazy center, 80% of the museums artifacts are now on display. The museum is planning an addition to handle the preservation and restoration that will allow the public to watch this work. Both this museum and the one in Washington have IMAX theaters and gift shops.
Both museums have been a favorite place to visit with our grandsons. The pictures shown here are from our visits in 2005 and 2006 to the new facility. This is just a small sample of all there is to see.
World War II fighters
The bomber Enola gay
Commercial and private aircraft, including the Concorde
Space Shuttle Enterprise
Space Shuttle Enterprise (grandsons standing below the tail)
Space Shuttle Enterprise from the rear NASA Tracking and Data Relay Satellite
This is the Mars lander and rover. The lander (including air bag) is an engineering prototype. The rover is a non-functional model built by the JPL folks for display at the Air and Space Museum. In January 2004, NASA landed two rovers, Opportunity and Spirit on Mars and they have returned many images, as well as other data. Here are a few links to some of the images:
