National Air and Space Museum

Illustration of the Earth viewed from a grey, cratered landscape on a black background.  Yellow and black text.

The National Air and Space Museum currently has two locations, the Smithsonian complex on the National Mall in Washington D.C., and the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, VA. The location on the National Mall was built after the collection had outgrown several other buildings. It was opened in time for the nation’s centennial in 1976. The Chantilly location was built in 2003. Not only is the museum the largest of the Smithsonian Institutions, but its Center for Earth and Planetary Studies is one of only nine of the Institution’s research centers. The collection currently is the home of over 60,000 objects but, it all began with a collection of 20 kites acquired from the Chinese Imperial Commission in 1876. Over eight million guests a year visit the two locations.