The Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum has the
largest collection of historic air and spacecraft in
the world.

The collection includes more than 30,000
aviation-related and more than 9,000 space related artifacts.
A large part of this collection is shown at the National
Air and Space Museum at the
Mall
in Washington, D.C. Some of the most notable include
the
Wright 1903 Flyer, the first engine-powered
airplane, the
Spirit of St. Louis,
the plane used by Charles Lindbergh on the first transatlantic
flight in 1927 and the
Apollo 11 Command
Module which carried the

astronauts Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins and Buzz
Aldrin on their mission to the moon in 1969.
The history of the
National Air and Space Museum started in 1946, when
Congress created the National Air Museum as a part of
the Smithsonian Institution. It was first located in
the Arts & Industries building at the
Mall
and later in the Washington Armory, currently home to
the National Museum of African Art.
In 1966, in the midst of the 'Space Race' between the
United States and the Soviet Union, the name of the
museum was changed to National Air and Space Museum.
To accommodate its constantly growing collection of
airplanes

and spacecraft, a new 200,000 sq ft/18,500 sq m building
was built at the National Mall. The modern and spacious
building, designed by Hellmuth, Obata and Kassabaum
opened July 1st, 1976. It was immensely popular from
the start, attracting more than 10 million visitors
a year.
The museum is divided into 23
thematic exhibition galleries with names such
as 'Milestones of Flight', 'Pioneers of Flight', 'Aviation
in WWII' and 'Space Race'. Besides displaying the planes
and space modules,

the museum also includes interactive exhibits as well as
the 230-seat Albert Einstein planetarium and the Langley
IMAX theater where you can watch breathtaking movies
on a five storey high screen.
Since the Smithsonian Institution's
collection is too large to accommodate all artifacts,
part of the collection is located at the Garber Restoration
Facility in Suitland, Maryland and at the Steven F.
Udvar-Hazy Center at the Dulles airport.
The National Air and Space Museum is
located at Independence Avenue on the
National
Mall. For more info check out the
museum's website.