SmithsonianNational Air and Space Museum

HistoryThe Smithsonian’s connection to flight dates from its earliest years.

The display of a hot air balloon designed for military use by Thaddeus S.C. Lowe, for example, occurred in 1861 outside the Institution’s original building, the “Castle.” Joseph Henry, a physicist and balloon enthusiast who served as first Secretary of the Smithsonian, invited Lowe to demonstrate his aircraft, which led to the birth of aerial reconnaissance during the Civil War. The Institution’s third Secretary, Thomas P. Langley, also a physicist as well as an astronomer and inventor, worked to create the world’s first powered, human-carrying aircraft during his tenure.

His Aerodrome A failed for the second time after it was launched from a houseboat on the Potomac just nine days shy of Dec. 17, 1903, the day Orville and Wilbur Wright made history at Kitty Hawk. Interestingly, the Smithsonian’s aeronautical reputation was such that the Wright brothers had written to the Institution in 1899 to request information on flight. Their letter is now exhib-ited near the original Wright Flyer, one the most famous artifacts in the Institution’s collection. Secretary Langley’s Aerodrome A is also preserved the collection, along with hundreds of aircraft, spacecraft and related artifacts.

z The National Air and Space Museum’s flagship building as seen from the National Mall in Washington, DC. Photo by Eric Long.

Moving Beyond Earth

The test telescope was used for a variety of tests, such as handling equipment and pro-cedures checkout. It was also subjected to the same noise and vibration (structural dy-namics) that the flight telescope would expe-rience during launch, as well as the extreme temperatures to be encountered in space.

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Will people be able to travel to far-away worlds beyond the moon? Do the benefits of human spaceflight outweigh the risks and expense?

“Moving Beyond Earth,” a new exhibition at the National Air and Space Museum, asks visitors to consider these questions and encourages them to follow the develop-ing story of humans in space. The first stage of “Moving Beyond Earth” opens today, with 25 historical artifacts, a presentation center, two wall-size projections and six decision-making interactive displays. When completed in late 2011, the exhibition will highlight the space shuttle and international space station and look beyond to the various possibilities for future space exploration.

“People always ask us what spaceflight is ‘really like,’” said Gen. J.R. “Jack” Dailey, director of the museum. “Our new exhibit ‘Moving Beyond Earth’ combines artifacts with computer-based interactive and live presentations to answer that question and inspire visitors of all ages.”

“NASA and the Smithsonian capture the imagination of people everywhere across this great nation,” said Lori Garver, NASA deputy administrator. “This new exhibition will inspire curiosity and create interest, especially for our young people, to go into science, technology, engineer-ing and math careers.”

The artifacts on display reflect the exhibition’s three main themes: Moving into Space, Living and Working in Space and Envisioning our Future in Space. A 12-foot-tall space-shuttle model and other launch-vehicle models represent the quest for routine access to space. The Corrective Optics Space Telescope Axial Replacement, COSTAR, brought back from the Hubble Space Telescope on the STS-125 mission, and the HST Power Control Unit Trainer, used by astronauts to practice the difficult task of replacing the electrical nerve center of the HST, convey the challenges of working in space, while the suit worn by space tourist Dennis Tito and a model Ares launch vehicle suggest future prospects for commercial spaceflight to the moon.

The Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum is located at Sixth and Independence Avenue, SW in Washington, D.C.

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Since its opening in conjunction with the nation’s Bicenten-nial in 1976, the museum has drawn 7–9 million visitors a year, attendance totals that have earned it the distinction of being the most visited museum in America and among the top three or four in the world. The Washington building has welcomed more than 326 million people since 1976; with both buildings combined, the total exceeds 342 million.

TodayThe Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum holds the world’s largest collection of historically important aeronautical artifacts and conducts research in aviation and space history, technology and planetary science.

Smithsonian Institution