On Monday, the National Air and Space Museum is reopening five refreshed galleries.
The museum entirely closed in 2018 for massive renovations. The first galleries opened in 2023, and this summer, five more will be on view again. The final exhibits are scheduled to open next year, in time for the country’s 250th anniversary.
Here are the three exhibits we recommend seeing when they reopen.
1) Milestones of Flight
Or, the entry hall on the National Mall side of the museum. Here you can see some of the most important air and space crafts in history. On view are:
- Friendship 7- The capsule that completed America’s first orbit of Earth, piloted by John Glenn.
- Bell X-1- Chuck Yeager first broke the sound barrier in this iconic aircraft.
- Apollo Lunar Module- The first spacecraft to land on the moon.
2) Pioneers of Flight gallery
This classic aviation exhibit showcases groundbreaking aircraft from the 1920s through 1930s. Planes that tested new limits and explored new routes, setting the stage for the world we know today.
Highlights include:
- “Spirit of St. Louis”- Charles Lindbergh’s plane from the first successful solo crossing of the Atlantic.
- “Chicago”- A Douglas World Cruiser from the U.S. Army’s first around-the-world flight in 1924.
- “Little Red Bus”- Amelia Earhart’s Lockheed Vega 5B that she solo crossed the Atlantic in.
Plus, don’t miss the hands-on kid section at the back of the exhibit.
3) WWI- The Birth of Military Aviation
WWI was the airplane’s coming-out party. Military aviation began only five years before the Great War began. Learn the origin of technology like forward-facing guns, propellers, and high-altitude flights in an open cockpit. Features stories include the Red Baron, the Sopwith Camel, and Quentin Roosevelt’s’ misadventure.
These galleries are all opening to the public on Monday, July 28th. Free passes are required, so get them online before you go.
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