National Air and Space Museum | Favorite Architecture
The National Air and Space Museum of the Smithsonian Institution, also called the NASM, is a museum in Washington, D.C.. It was established in 1946 as the National Air Museum and opened its main building on the National Mall near L’Enfant Plaza in 1976. In 2016, the museum saw approximately 7.5 million visitors, making it the third most visited museum in the world, and the most visited museum in the United States. The museum contains the Apollo 11 command module, the Friendship 7 capsule which was flown by John Glenn, Charles Lindbergh’s Spirit of St. Louis, the Bell X-1 which broke the sound barrier, and the Wright brothers‘ plane near the entrance,More info:wiki
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#10 National Air and Space Museum’s Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center Turns 10,More info:airandspace.si
The Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, the only Smithsonian facility to have been built with private funds, will mark 10 years of operation Dec. 15. Since it opened in conjunction with the nation’s Centennial of Flight in 2003, the center has expanded in all areas: size, scope of collections, displays, programs and educational activities. As of Nov. 30, more than 13 million people have visited the facility.
When it opened, the center had less than 500 artifacts on display, and today there are more than 3,000. That first year, only one of its massive exhibition hangars—the Boeing Aviation Hangar—housed displays. A year later, the James S. McDonnell Space Hangar opened. In 2008, construction began on a second wing of the center. Completed in 2011, the wing includes the Mary Baker Engen Restoration Hangar, the archives and collections storage and operations units. Several annual events have been introduced, as well as family days, science activities, lectures and concert series. The Udvar-Hazy Center is the second-most visited aviation museum in the country—second to the National Air and Space Museum’s flagship building in Washington—and Virginia’s most popular museum. It is named for aerospace executive Steven F. Udvar-Hazy, who donated $65 million for its construction.
#9 U.S. Airlines Gift $28 Million To Help Renovate Air And Space Museum,More info:wamu
Two new planes will land in the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space museum as part of a three-year renovation of the American air travel exhibition in the building’s main hall. The museum announced on Wednesday that nine U.S. airlines have donated a total of $28 million to display the new aircraft.
The donation is among the first major gifts in a campaign to raise $250 million from private donors to renovate the entire museum. The seven-year project is slated to begin this summer.
Museum officials said this will be the biggest construction project since the museum opened 41 years ago. Bob Van der Linden, curator of air and transportation, said the last major work at the museum was replacing all the windows in the 1990s.
#8 Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum,More info:novumstructures
Fittingly, the Smithsonian Air + Space Museum has a traditional space truss entry canopy. The Novum KK-System is ideal for lightweight long span applications and the PSG-System allows structural glazing panels to be directly bolted to spider arms which in turn bolt directly to the spherical space truss node. The optimized combined systems projects a clean and simple solution.
#7 A partial view of the Boeing Aviation Hangar at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center,More info:airandspace.si
#6 Lockheed Martin X-35B STOVL,More info:airandspace.si
#5 Guide to Smithsonian Air & Space Museum – 5 Planes you absolutely can’t miss,More info:inspiredbymaps
Apart from being the home of America’s politicians we all know that Washington DC is also the home of America’s museums.
In the Smithsonian museums spread along the national mall of DC you can see everything from the US Constitution to Dorothy’s red slippers from the Wizard of Oz.
Now of course if it’s aviation that tickles your taste buds you can’t go past the National Air and Space Museum on the national mall, home to the Wright Brothers Flyer, the Bell X-1 and other hugely historic aircraft. It’s a great place to visit, however it’s not the only aircraft museum on the Smithsonian’s books.
With that I present to you the guide to Smithsonian Air & Space Museum!
#4 National Air and Space Museum in Washington DC,More info:shutterwarrior
Also known as the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, this is a must visit destination if you are ever in the Washington DC area. It was really nice to see the space shuttle in person. I had seen the Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird in person once before at the San Diego Aerospace Museum but not this up close. It really gave me a sense of the scale and marvel of engineering. After seeing the Blackbird and the Space Shuttle Discovery I was even more impressed by the sheer size and engineering feat that the Concorde was, especially considering the era in which it was built and the fact that it was entered into commercial service. These three feature air/space craft cast by far the longest shadows at the museum. They are a true testament to the sheer determination, passion, brains, brawn and guts of engineers of old with little more than slide rules and a clear uncluttered vision.
There is a also a great observation tower with 360 degree view with great plane spotting opportunities as various aircraft approach both Dulles airport runways on both sides. I did not get any good shots while up in the tower, however I will definitely go for a plane spotting outing here, next time i visit DC. All shots were taken handheld with the Canon 5D Mark-III + EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM lens using in camera HDR processing, no post processing other than watermark and resizing using GIMP Batch Image Processing.
#3 The National Air and Space Museum, head in the cosmos,More info:airfrance
At the National Air and Space Museum, aerospace enthusiasts will be delighted while novices will also discover it with great pleasure.
Located in Washington’s National Mall Park, the museum is a real goldmine. Throughout 22 galleries, learn about the history of aviation and space flight, astronomy and planetology. Thousands of objects, one more fascinating than the next, are exhibited here. Among them, admire the Wright Flyer, the Wright Brothers’ first successful heavier-than-air powered aircraft as well as the Spirit of St. Louis, with which Charles Lindbergh made the first solo transatlantic flight. Even more impressive, stop in front of the Columbia, the Apollo 11 Command Module, used in the first manned lunar landing mission in 1969.
During your visit, you can also “dive” head first into the stars at the planetarium or even take flight in one of the simulators. Four experiences are offered: a flight on the Hubble Space Mission, in the open cockpit of a triplane during the First World War, aboard a futuristic spacecraft or at the controls of one of the first powered flights. Bon voyage!
#2 List of aircraft in the Smithsonian Institution,More info:wikipedia
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