National Air and Space Museum

Our Mission

We rely on the generous support of donors, sponsors, members, and other benefactors to share the history and impact of aviation and spaceflight, educate the public, and inspire future generations. With your help, we can continue to preserve and safeguard the world’s most comprehensive collection of artifacts representing the great achievements of flight and space exploration.

Why We Need You

Federal funding, while always our mainstay, is not sufficient to realize our future. Only with your help can we fulfill our enormous potential. Your support allows us to:

• Create compelling exhibitions that engage, educate, and inspire millions of visitors every year.
• Present free public lectures featuring the living legends of aviation and space history.
• Expand scholarship on the history, science, and technology of aviation and spaceflight.
• Go beyond our exhibits and traditional classrooms via online educational programs and emerging technologies.
• Build confidence and curiosity in our young visitors through interactions with role models in aviation and aerospace career fields.
• Preserve historic aviation and space artifacts and archival materials.
• Advance ground-breaking research in planetary science, geology, and geophysics.
• Remain a premier destination for people of all ages to learn about aviation and space.