Gift To Support Renovation, Education Efforts

Boeing will make a $30 million donation to the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum to support education work, new exhibits and the first renovation of the “Milestones of Flight” hall since the museum opened, the company announced late last week. The renovation and new exhibits will be completed in 2016, the same year that Boeing celebrates its centennial anniversary.

Including this gift, Boeing has donated nearly $60 million to National Air and Space Museum.

Boeing and the aerospace industry are at the forefront of innovation, with ideas that have changed the world in ways that could never have imagined 100 years ago. Not only does the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum celebrate and commemorate aerospace milestones, but the institution also represents the aspiration to inspire future generations, test the limits and challenge the impossible.

According to the Museum website, the planned changes include:

• Objects on Display: Familiar objects like the Spirit of St. Louis and Bell X-1 will stay. Some will move. Others will be added, including the Apollo Lunar Module and Star Trek starship Enterprise studio model.
• More Stories: Multiple, interconnected stories will tie our collections together and trace the broader social, political, cultural, technical, and human aspects of how aviation and spaceflight have transformed the world.
• An Inviting Space: A new open floor plan and centrally located Welcome Center will make your visit a breeze while a new media wall will invite you into the Museum to explore more of our amazing collection.
• Digital Engagement: A new mobile experience will help you personalize your visit, engage with experts, and explore connections between the objects on display and the stories they tell.

A team of Museum staff is now working on re-envisioning and renovating the Milestones exhibition. Our aim is to make your experience at the National Air and Space Museum even more educational and inspiring.

The renovated Boeing Milestones of Flight Hall will showcase one of the world’s largest collections of aerospace objects and feature new exhibits to excite the imagination of all ages about the future of flight.

FMI: http://airandspace.si.edu/