10 Interesting Facts About National Air And Space Museum Washington, D.C.

National Air and Space Museum possesses the largest collection of historic spacecraft and aircraft relics in the World. Known as the largest and most renowned museum for aircraft and space, a visit to the National Air and Space Museum can never disappoint you. From the Wright Flyer of 1903, Apollo Lunar Module to the aircraft from World Wars I and II, the museum has wondrous things present inside. Visiting the museum also has much more than just viewing these aviation-related residues. The museum has a spectacular 5-storey movie theater inside and what not to amuse the inquisitive budding astronomer in you. The following is a list of the most interesting facts about the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum.

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1. The Largest Among 19

The National Air and Space Museum is the largest among the Smithsonian’s 19 museums and its Center for Earth and Planetary Studies is one of the Institution’s nine research centers. With 50,000 pieces the Museum has the largest collection of historic spacecraft and aircraft relics on the Earth. The museum has too many things which are worth seeing such as the moon rocks.
source: city-data.com, image: lemessurier.com

2. One Museum, Two Locations

This museum has two locations; one is in Washington, D.C and the another one is located near Washington Dulles International Airport in Virginia.  The latter one is known as Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center.
source: airandspace.si.edu, image: henselphelps.com

3. Naming And Re-Naming

President Harry Truman signed Public Law 722, establishing the National Air Museum, the predecessor to the Air and Space Museum in 1946. These art collections roamed at different locations till when Congress funded the money to construct the stunning Air and Space Museum.
source: smithsonianmag.com, image: cdn-2.historyguy.com

4. An Electric, Moving Sculpture Is No More There

An electric, moving sculpture called the S.S. Pussiewillow II is known to be the strangest thing found at the museum. It was kept there for about 20 years in storage, but people still call and ask about it. The reason they took it off from there was some power issues and minor fire.
source: smithsonianmag.com

5. Don’t Miss The Wright Flyer Of 1903

Wright Flyer of 1903 was the first powered airplane to demonstrate flight. It was made by the famous Wright brothers. The 1903 machine never flew after December 17. The flyer machine was reassembled and repaired. It was kept at the Science Museum for 20 years, at the center of a dispute between Orville Wright and the Smithsonian Institution. The Flyer was transferred permanently to the Institution’s collection in 1948.
source: britannica.com, image: sherrimay.files.wordpress.com

6. Thematic Exhibit Galleries

The National Air and Space Museum is divided into thematic exhibition galleries which are twenty-two in number. The galleries have been uniquely identified by the names such as ‘Milestones of Flight’, ‘Early Flight’, ‘Aviation in WWII’ and ‘Space Race’.
source: aviewoncities.com, image: cdn.luxatic.com

7. Watch Movies On Five Storey High Screens!

You can also take an extraordinary experience of watching movies on 5-storey high screens at the National Air and Space Museum. It has a Langley IMAX theater inside it. The museum also has the 230-seat Albert Einstein Planetarium.
source: aviewoncities.com, image: s3-media1.fl.yelpcdn.com, image: ekskluzywne.net

8. Tourist Attractor

Approximately seven million people visit National Air and Space Museum every year. As per 2014, 6.7 million people visited it.
source: worldstrides.com, image: Wikimedia.org

9. Moon’s Aircraft Is Here

Apollo 11 Command Module was one of two spacecrafts, along with the Lunar Module, which landed on Moon in 1969. Now it is a masterpiece in National air and space museum.
source: Wikipedia, image: cdn.theconversation.com

10. Don’t Miss Them!

A few of the best things present at the museum which are definitely not to be missed are Apollo Lunar module, Lindbergh’s Spirit of St. Louis, Aircraft from World Wars I and II and the moon rock near the entrance of the museum.
source: worldstrides.com, image: media-cdn.tripadvisor.com