Since 1976, hundreds of millions of visitors have walked through the halls of the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum to marvel at the tools and technologies that swept Americans off their feet. And for the next seven years, aviation enthusiasts might notice some new machinery inside the countryâs most visited museum â namely, cranes, lifts and other construction vehicles.
The Air and Space Museum is in the beginning phases of a seven-year, nearly $1 billion renovation project that will rebuild the museum in stages while it remains open to the public. Once complete, the museum will have a new facade (the buildingâs exterior stone panels are warped and worn), improved infrastructure, a modern look and updated galleries that tell a more comprehensive history of air and space travel.
âI want to make sure that every kid who comes into this museum can see someone who looks like them, who helped drive this country forward in aviation and space exploration. So youâre going to see a lot more diversity in the stories that we tell,â said Ellen Stofan, director of the Smithsonianâs National Air and Space Museum.
âWhat are the stories of the people behind [those] who used these aircraft? Who are the people that built them? What are the stories behind some of the people who flew them?â
For the renovation, nearly every artifact in the museum will be packed up and moved out, with the exception of a few items, including the nose of a Boeing 747 and Charles Lindberghâs Spirit of St. Louis, which will be protected in place. Most of the other aircraft and spacecraft will be lowered, dismantled, wrapped, and transported on a truck to a climate-controlled storage facility at the museumâs Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Virginia.
âAll of this is done extremely carefully, extremely well documented,â said Stofan, a former NASA chief scientist who has been leading the museum for about a year.
âYouâre dealing with artifacts, some of which are 50, 60, 70 years old that maybe actually werenât meant to last for hundreds of years, but weâve got to make them last that long.â
Giant F-1 engines that powered the Saturn V rocket to the moon also need to relocate from one side of the museum to the other â âand they are extremely heavy,â Stofan added.
âSome of the artifacts were put into this museum with a crane when it was being built and they havenât really been moved since. And all the sudden weâre saying, âHow did they get this in here? And how did they move it around?ââ
Currently, the museumâs west wing is closed, and after a few years, work will move to the east side of the building. But Stofan said just because a few galleries are temporarily unavailable, doesnât mean locals and tourists should cancel their plans to visit. The Air and Space Museum has a number of special exhibits open and events planned throughout the year â especially in the summer to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Apolloâs moon landing.
And while seven years may seem like a long time for a building renovation, Stofan said it will all be worth it in the end â and for decades to come.
âWeâre going to be telling the story of: Where are we going in space flight? Are we going back to the moon, going on to Mars? How is aviation changing? Are we really going to go to flying cars?â Stofan said.
âHow do we inspire this next generation thatâs going to move this country forward in aviation, in space, in this increasingly technological society that we have? I want those kids to come in here and be truly inspired.â
The first set of renovated galleries at the Air and Space Museum is scheduled to open in 2022.
