Although we often think of museums as collections of old things, the National Air and Space Museumhouses a collection of new things. It traces the history of human heavier-than-air flight and space exploration. Hardly anything you'll see here is more than one hundred years old.

AIR&SPACE/Smithsonian was created as an extension of the Smithsonian Institution's National Air and Space Museum. The magazine's charter is to convey the adventure of flight and space travel to an audience with a special interest in the history and technology of aerospace.

There are 356 aircraftt in the collection of the National Air and Space Museum (NASM). Theseaircraft are described and summarized in the following Web pages. Each page describes the historyof the type and background of the Museum's aircraft.

Embark on an astronomical adventure. Learn about the nature of the universe. Realistic astronomical experiences are produced underthe Planetarium's 70-foot (21 meter)-diameter dome, using the Carl Zeiss Model VIa planetarium instrument, America's Bicentennialgift from the people of West Germany, and hundreds of auxiliary visual effects devices.

The National Air Museum (NAM) was created as a separate bureau of the Smithsonian Institution by an Act of Congress on 12 August 1946. Twenty years later, itsname was changed to the National Air and Space Museum (NASM) as part of a congressional act authorizing a separate building to house its collections, whichopened to the public on July 1, 1976.

Located on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., the Museum has hundreds of artifacts on display including the original Wright 1903 Flyer, the"Spirit of St. Louis," Apollo 11 command module, and a Lunar rock sample that visitors can touch.
The National Air and Space Museum is located on the National Mall at 7th and Independence Ave.,S.W.,Washington, D.C., just west of the Capitol building. The closest metro stations are L'Enfant Plaza orSmithsonian. Information is available on Special Services for disabled visitors. For more information on all tour descriptions and special tours, programs, science demonstrations, or to make reservations, call the Tours and Reservations Office at (202) 357-1400.

where the National Air and Space Museum preserves and stores aircraft, spacecraft, and other artifacts, and restores these artifacts to represent a specific period in their history.

Critical review of and information about the Smithsonian Institution's National Air and Space Museum

CEPS is a scientific research unit within the Collections and Research Department of the National Air and SpaceMuseum, Smithsonian Institution. CEPS performs original research and outreach activities on topics covering planetary science, terrestrial geophysics, and the remotesensing of environmental change.

The biggest screen and the best sound in the Washington area can be found in a museum.That's the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum – its Langley Theater uses thegiant-screen IMAX projection system.

The National Air and Space Museum was opened on July 1, 1976, and it quickly became one of the most popular parts of the Smithsonian Institution. It hosted itsone millionth visitor just 25 days after its opening, and its one hundred millionth just over 10 years later.

To aviation enthusiasts, the National Air and Space Museum is a special place, where priceless artifacts are held in trust, to be displayed with understanding and pride. At the end of the museum near the World War II gallery, both Allied and Axis warplanes, newly restored, are on exhibit.