NATIONAL AIR AND SPACE MUSEUM
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History of DC /
Air and Space
Location: 7th Street and Independence Avenue, SW
Metro: L'Enfant Plaza (BLUE, GREEN, ORANGE, and YELLOW Lines)
and Smithsonian (BLUE and ORANGE Lines)
Hours: open daily except December 25, 10:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Information: 202-357-1300
The National Air and Space Museum was opened on July 1, 1976,
and it quickly became one of the most popular parts of the
Smithsonian Institution. It hosted its one millionth visitor
just 25 days after its opening, and its one hundred millionth
just over 10 years later.
The National Air Museum was established on August 22, 1946,
and later renamed to the National Air and Space Museum on
July 19, 1966. The same Public Law which renamed the museum also
authorized the construction of the building. Gyo Obata's design
for the Museum includes a theater (the Samuel P. Langley IMAX
Theater), a planetarium (named for physicist Albert Einstein),
23 galleries, and a library.
DC Pages /
History of DC /
Air and Space
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