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COLLECTIONS
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The National Air and Space Museum holds in trust over 30,000 aviation and 9,000 space artifacts. Historic aircraft and spacecraft, such as the Wright 1903 Flyer, the Apollo 11 Command Module, and the Space Shuttle Enterprise highlight the national collection. Thousands of additional artifacts--including engines, rockets, uniforms, spacesuits, balloons, artwork, documents, manuscripts and photographs--document the richness of the history of flight, at home and around the world. A majority of these artifacts are on display at the Museum on the National Mall and at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center In Chantilly, Va.
The Museum's artifacts reach an even wider audience through an active loan program that makes the national collection accessible to museums in the United States and in other countries. |
RESEARCH
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The Department
of Collections and Research at the National Air and Space
Museum consists of five research and curatorial divisions. Each
division participates in the collection of artifacts, research
related to the collections, and preparation of museum exhibitions.
The Archives Division is responsible
for the Museum's document and photographic collections. The
Collections Division is concerned
with artifact management, restoration, and preservation. The
Aeronautics and Space
History Divisions conduct historical research related to
aviation and space history, and the Center
for Earth and Planetary Studies utilizes the results of
solar system exploration data in scientific studies of the Earth
and other planets. |
Research Facilities, Opportunities & Resources
Fellowship
Program
Smithsonian Institution fellowships are offered for predoctoral,
postdoctoral, and non-academic investigators. Museum fellows work
with research staff in the Aeronautics or Space History Divisions, or the Center
for Earth and Planetary Studies.
National Air and Space Museum Library and Archives
The Archives Division is available to visiting researchers and SI
staff. General information and resources for researchers are available
online. Researchers can contact Archives staff with inquiries
regarding their extensive collection. For information on general
library holdings and the online Smithsonian libraries catalog (SIRIS),
see the National
Air and Space Musuem Branch Library web site.
Regional Planetary Image Facility (RPIF)
The Center for Earth and Planetary Studies is a NASA-supported
Regional Planetary Image Facility and is accessible to visiting
researchers. Facility information, a list of holdings, and samples
images from the collection are available online.
More Museum Collections Information:
Exhibition Galleries
A visitor guide to each of the museum exhibits and the collections
on display. Pictures and information for many of the artifacts on
display are available.
Paul E. Garber Preservation, Restoration and Storage Facility
Some a rtifacts are restored and prepared for museum display at the Garber
facility in Suitland, MD. Formerly the main restoration and storage facility for the Museum, most of the work done at the Garber facility is gradually being transferred to the Udvar-Hazy Center.
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