Air Transportation Gallery Closing January 9 For New Exhibition
Prep
The Air Transportation gallery at the National Air and Space
Museum’s flagship building on the National Mall in Washington
will close on Jan. 9, 2006, in preparation for a new exhibition the
following year.
The gallery is home to an array of airplanes representing the
development of early commercial air travel -- from the Douglas M-2
biplane, used for moving mail in the 1920s, to the forward fuselage
of a 1950s Douglas DC-7 airliner, which has an interior accessible
to visitors.
After the gallery closes, aircraft will still be visible over
barriers erected on the museum’s first floor and from the
gallery overlook on the second floor. Some of the airplanes are
suspended level to the second floor.
The exhibition "America by Air," opening in 2007, will present
an expanded history of commercial air travel, from early attempts
to form airlines only a few years after the invention of powered
flight to the commercial challenges and technical sophistication of
the 21st-century jet age.
Below are the events NASM has scheduled for January and February
2006 -- at either the National Mall flagship building, or the
Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, VA.
January
1/5, Thursday
Curator’s Choice, 12:30 to 12:45 p.m.
"The Space Shuttle Enterprise"
Valerie Neal, Space History Division
Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, Chantilly, VA.
1/19, Thursday
Curator’s Choice, 12:30 to 12:45 p.m.
"Arado Ar 234 Blitz: The World’s First Operational Jet
Bomber"
Tom Dietz, Aeronautics Division
Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, Chantilly, VA.
1/28, Saturday
Milestones of Flight: Apollo 11 Family Day, 10 a.m. to 3
p.m.
National Mall building
Touch a moon rock and learn how it got to Earth! See the command
module Columbia from the Apollo 11, the first lunar landing
mission. Learn how the astronauts from this and other Apollo
missions ate, worked and slept in space.
Special tours and activities will be offered in Spanish.
This event is made possible by the generous support of Northrop
Grumman.
February
2/2, Thursday
Curator’s Choice, 12:30 to 12:45 p.m.
"Shuttle Radar Topography Mission – Mapping the Earth in
the Global Age"
Martin Collins, Space History Division
Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, Chantilly, VA.
2/11, Saturday
African American Pioneers in Aviation Family Day, 10 a.m. to 3
p.m.
National Mall building
- Learn about the accomplishments of African American men and
women who, despite the challenges of segregation at home and
abroad, achieved great success. Find out how these pioneers have
paved the way for future generations. Meet members of the Tuskegee
Airmen, and listen to the music that was popular when they were in
the air.
This event is made possible by the generous support of Northrop
Grumman.
2/15, Wednesday
Curator’s Choice, Noon to 12:15 p.m.
"George Caruthers’s Telescope"
Black History Month Event
David DeVorkin, Space History Division
National Mall building
2/16, Thursday
Curator’s Choice,
12:30 to 12:45 p.m.
"Arlington Sisu 1A – First Sailplane to Fly 1,000 km"
Russell Lee, Aeronautics Division
Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, Chantilly, VA.
2/22, Wednesday
Curator’s Choice, Noon to 12:15 p.m.
"Cornelius R. Coffey and African American Flight Training"
Black History Month Event
Jeremy Kinney, Aeronautics Division
National Mall Building
2/25, Saturday
African American Pioneers in Aviation Family Day, 10 a.m. to 3
p.m.
Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center
- Talk with local Tuskegee Airmen, the famous African American
pioneers in the skies. Learn how their determination and
perseverance led to training programs and flying clubs. Also enjoy
hands-on activities and story time for children ages 4-7 and their
adult companions.
Ongoing Activities
Daily Museum Tours
Building on the National Mall and the Udvar-Hazy Center
Highlight tours are offered at 10:30 a.m. and 1 p.m.
Participants meet at the Welcome Center.
Daily IMAX® Movies
Movies at the Lockheed Martin IMAX Theater on the National
Mall:
- "Magnificent Desolation: Walking on the Moon 3D," narrated by
Tom Hanks
- "Fighter Pilot: Operation Red Flag"
- "To Fly!"
Movies at the Udvar-Hazy Center:
- "Space Station"
- "To Fly!"
- "Fighter Pilot: Operation Red Flag"
Daily Planetarium Shows
Museum on the Mall
- "Infinity Express, A 20-Minute Tour of the Universe," narrated
by Laurence Fishburne
- "The Stars Tonight" (Free but ticketed)
Daily - How Do Things Fly?
Museum on the Mall
- Demonstrations and hands-on activities. Paper airplane
contests. Schedule posted daily at the entrance to How Things Fly
gallery.
Daily - Discovery Stations
Museum on the Mall and the Udvar-Hazy Center
- Hands-on activities and demonstrations located throughout the
museum. Schedule available at the Welcome Center.