NASM New Galleries Coming

by Mary Dominiac

Unless you’ve been living under a rock (or are new to the DC area!), you already know that the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum on the Mall has been totally rebuilt on its original footprint, and is gradually opening new, fully
reimagined display galleries. While no precise date has been announced yet, new signs in the South Lobby (Independence Avenue entrance) now promise Summer 2025 as the next stage opening, and the recent removal of construction curtains teases current visitors with veiled glimpses of treats to come.

The next stage will include the Boeing Milestones of Flight gallery, with the gorgeous new portico entrance on the mall; the Barron Hilton Pioneers of Flight gallery on the second floor, directly over the South Lobby; the Lockheed Martin IMAX theater; and the Innovations gallery, which is the last remaining gallery on the far west end. The first exhibit in Innovations will be “Aerospace and Our Changing Environment,” which will be on display for about two years. The Summer 2025 opening may also include World War I: The Birth of Military Aviation, on the second floor beside Pioneers of Flight and across from the IMAX theater; and Futures in Space, across from the IMAX theater on the first floor. If they don’t all open at the same time, they’ll likely open in quick succession.

At any rate, if you come for a visit any time soon – remembering to get your timed entry tickets first, of course! (https://www.etix.com/ticket/e/1029945/timed-entry-washington-the-smithsonian-national-air-and-space-museum-
general-public) – you will see plastic-wrapped artifacts visible in the Milestones of Flight gallery. Impress your
visiting family and friends by identifying the X-15, Chuck Yeager’s Bell X-1, the monster fan blade from the full-scale Langley Wind Tunnel, and more! Hop on the escalator to the second floor to check out the wrapped Lunar Module and look down the hall to see the signs for all the other galleries that won’t be opening until next year. Walk toward the Planetarium box office on the second floor and you can steal a glimpse of the nose of Charles Lindbergh’s Spirit of St Louis hanging in Pioneers of Flight (now safely out of direct sunlight from the glass ceiling) and point out the flash of red to its right: part of Amelia Earhart’s gorgeous Lockheed Vega.

And if you’d like to see professional photos from behind the scenes of all the new galleries, you can always check out the museum’s Flickr account, “Change Is In The Air.” You’ll find phase two here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/airandspace/albums/72177720297680046/.
Keep your eyes on the museum’s website for gallery opening announcements or make absolutely sure you don’t miss the news by subscribing to the museum’s “What’s Up” email newsletter right over here: https://airandspace.si.edu/about/major-projects/transformation/behind-scenes.