Past Exhibitions

Magnificent Voyagers: The U.S. Exploring Expedition 1838-1842 (Wilkes Expedition)

See fossils, minerals, plants, maps, masks, carved wooden figures, baskets, paintings, drawings, and vividly colored scientific illustrations, all from the daring, four-year voyage to South America, Pacific Islands, Antarctica, Australia.

November 14, 1985 – November 9, 1986

Second Great International Paper Airplane Contest Winners

See the 40 winning entries in the Second Great International Paper Airplane Contest sponsored by NASM, Science 85 and Seattle's Museum of Flight, along with the paper airplane flown by Senator Jake Garn on a recent space shuttle mission.

July 24, 1985 – November 4, 1986

The Hospital in Service of the City

See photos and documents commemorating the people, service, and facilities of New York's Bellevue Hospital, in continuous operation for over 250 years.

July 18, 1986 – October 31, 1986

Fields of Grass

A worldwide selection of grasses is shown in drawings, watercolors, and prints executed by artists from all over the world.

June 6, 1986 – August 31, 1986

The Excellent Mr. Ray

This exhibition celebrates the 300th anniversary of the publication of John Ray's book, Historia Planetarum, the first scientific work on botany.

June 3, 1986 – August 29, 1986

Noses by Design

See graphics and medical instruments in a brief overview of nasal plastic surgery.

May 5, 1986 – July 10, 1986

Ultra-Light Aircraft

Visit eight of these lightweight craft, owned by members of the Experimental Aircraft Association.

July 5, 1986 – July 6, 1986

Natural Science Illustration, 1986

See more than 100 wildlife illustrations by members of the Guild of Natural Science Illustrators, who held an international meeting June 15-20, 1996.

June 9, 1986 – June 22, 1986

Beyond the City Lights: American Domestic Gas Lighting Systems

Examine the advent and development of gas lighting and gas-producing machines in the U.S. from the early 19th century to the early 20th century.

October 17, 1985 – May 4, 1986

Learning Mathematics With Books

Included are a 19th-century "cipher book" and an arithmetic chart, two items that were common in the days when books were rare.

April 1, 1986 – April 30, 1986

Comet Quest: The Search for Halley's Comet

This small exhibition of 19th-century books, photographs, and illustrations complements the Planetarium program Comet Quest which looks at the lore and lure of comets from ancient times to the present -- including Halley's Comet, expected to be visible in 1985-86.

November 1, 1984 – April 30, 1986

President Harry S. Truman Centennial: The Berlin Airlift

View photographs and memorabilia from the Berlin airlift, highlighting the role of the Truman Administration.

May 8, 1984 – March 31, 1986

Fire and Ice (Comet Art)

Discover iconographic representations of comets through drawings, paintings, illuminated manuscripts, and sculptures, ranging from ancient Babylonian clay tablets to a 20th-century Lalique hood ornament.

October 24, 1985 – March 31, 1986

Latin America, Science and Technology: A Display

See rare books on the subjects of science and technology in South America.

February 3, 1986 – March 24, 1986

John Safer: Sculptor

See 13 sleek, contemporary, minimalist sculptures by Washington, D.C., artist John Safer, known for his non- representational works in Lucite, brass, bronze, and granite.

September 12, 1985 – December 11, 1985

Space Tools

Visit a small exhibition featuring tools used in space missions.

June 21, 1985 – November 30, 1985

Building the Bomb: Forty Years After Hiroshima (Case of the Month)

Study some 45 photographs, drawings, documents, and artifacts that illustrate the development of the atomic bomb under the Manhattan Project, the decision to use it in the war, and the destructive effects on Japan.

August 6, 1985 – November 7, 1985

Preview of Permanent Invertebrate Exhibition

Visit 7 displays, each featuring a different type of creature.

May 23, 1985 – October 30, 1985

National Zoo

Sightseeing: A Space Panorama

Admire NASA photographs, taken in space, compiled by Peter Riva during a summer workshop in Arles, France.

September 6, 1985 – October 25, 1985

Resident Associate Trilobite

See a 400-million-year-old trilobite found by Resident Associate Y. Kirkpatrick Howard during a Resident Associate Program collecting trip.

September 1, 1985 – September 30, 1985

Crossroads (Calder Gouache)

Visit Alexander Calder's Crossroads , donated to NASM and displayed as part of RAP's 20th Anniversary.

September 1, 1985 – September 30, 1985

Focus on Flight: Four Decades of Aerial Photography (Rudy Arnold and Hans Groenhoff)

View 100 photographs by Rudy Arnold and Hans Groenhoff, featuring record-setting events and aircraft in their surroundings, that portray aviation from the mid-1920s through the 1950s.

November 16, 1984 – September 2, 1985