Past Exhibitions | Smithsonian Institution

Flight Technology

Learn how and why airplanes fly in this gallery designed for children.

July 1, 1976 – 1988

Investigate the CFM International CFM56-2 turbofan and Pratt & Whitney Canada PW 123 turboprop engines, representative of engines developed in the 1970s and 1980s and used today to power many medium- and short-range transport aircraft.

September 24, 1990 – Closed

Air and Space Museum

Werner von Braun

View photographs, models, and awards received by von Braun, a replica of the tape recorder that returned to earth from Explorer III, and animation art from a 1950 Disney film in an exhibit marking the 20th anniversary of the launch of Explorer I.

January 1978 – Closed

Air and Space Museum

Critical Distance

Critical Distance is a free, augmented-reality experience emphasizing the intrinsic connection between people, orcas, and the ocean. The experience immerses visitors in a holographic orca pod and allows them to witness this endangered species’ daily obstacles.

September 29, 2021 – Summer 2022

Natural History Museum

Aircraft Models

Visit a selection of some 50 finely crafted military and civilian aircraft models of different scale, representing aircraft technology since the early 20th century.

July 29, 1982 – Late 1998

Air and Space Museum

General Aviation

Examine private, non-commercial airline and non-military flight used to transport people, products, and services in the United States.

July 1, 1976 – 1983

Air and Space Museum

Grover Loening

See photographs, trophies, medals, and plane models that tell the story of aircraft designer Grover Loening, the first person in the U.S. to receive a degree in aeronautical engineering.

April 30, 1978 – Closed

Air and Space Museum

Naval Aviation Art

Observe 16 works commemorating the 75-year history of naval aviation. Organized by the U.S. Naval Institute, Annapolis, Maryland.

August 29, 1986 – Closed

Air and Space Museum

Magellan Venus Probe Video

Watch a 6-minute video showing footage from the unmanned Magellan Venus Probe, launched May 4, 1989 and now orbiting Venus.

August 28, 1990 – Closed

Air and Space Museum

Carrier War in the Pacific

Review 6 principal carrier battles of World War II through models, maps, photographs, and original newsreel footage.

September 29, 1989 – Closed

Air and Space Museum

World War I Aviation

Explore the technological advances of WWI aviation set against a background of a front-line, allied airstrip somewhere in France in 1918.

July 1, 1976 – 1987

Air and Space Museum

Expeditionary Airfield System (Portable Airport)

See sections of aluminum matting used as a runway that is part of a portable expeditionary airfield system developed by the U.S. Marine Corps in the 1950s, and used extensively during the 1960s in Vietnam.

October 1, 1986 – Closed

Air and Space Museum

ICE Meets Ice: International Cometary Explorer

Discover a 1/10 scale model of NASA's ICE (International Cometary Explorer) satellite, which flew through the tail of the Giacobini-Zinner comet in September 1985.

July 11, 1986 – Closed

Air and Space Museum

Flight Testing

Trace the history of flight research, research aircraft, and the test pilot.

July 1, 1976 – 1995

Air and Space Museum

Discovery Room

This Discovery Room will give museum visitors of all ages a chance to handle and closely examine samples of a wide variety of natural history specimens of all shapes and sizes, ranging from whale fossils to petrified wood.

March 5, 1974 – Closed

Natural History Museum

Aerial Firefighting

Trace the history of aerial firefighting in the U.S. through more than 35 historical photographs and film footage of an actual mission that explain the important role of aircraft in the constant battle against wildfires.

December 7, 1984 – Closed

Air and Space Museum

Life in the Universe

Explore the universe, its makeup, and its possible habitation.

July 1, 1976 – 1979

Air and Space Museum

Special Aircraft Exhibit: Corsair, Curtiss, Boeing, Grumman, and Excalibur

Visit a changing exhibition of aircraft, many of them recently restored at the Garber Facility at Silver Hill, Maryland.

February 1, 1981 – April 1998

Air and Space Museum

Barro Colorado Island 100 Years of Discoveries and Wonder

Celebrate the 100th Birthday of Barro Colorado Island Research Station by immersing yourself in a Panamanian jungle!

November 18, 2022 – December 2025

Natural History Museum