Museum of American Exceptionalism
← All wings

Sky & Space

Through the sound barrier, past Mach 3, and onto the Moon.

1927–1969 · 7 exhibits
  1. A crowd surrounds the Spirit of St. Louis at Roosevelt Field, Long Island, before Lindbergh's takeoff for Paris, 20 May 1927.
    1927Open nowThe Spirit of St. LouisA 25-year-old airmail pilot flew alone from New York to Paris without stopping and became the most famous man alive.33½hours alone
  2. Bell X-1 #46-062 in flight, c. 1947
    1947Open nowMach 1Chuck Yeager, two broken ribs and the Bell X-1. The sound barrier broke over the Mojave.1.06Mach
  3. 1962Opening soonGodspeed, John GlennJohn Glenn circled the Earth three times in under five hours and put America in the space race for good.3orbits
  4. SR-71 Blackbird over the Sierra Nevada
    1964Open nowSR-71 BlackbirdDesigned with slide rules. Still the fastest crewed air-breathing jet ever flown.3.3Mach
  5. Buzz Aldrin on the Moon, Apollo 11, July 20, 1969 (AS11-40-5903)
    1969Open nowApollo 11Eight years after a president said we would, two Americans walked on the Moon.240Kmiles
  6. 1970Opening soonHouston, We’ve Had a ProblemAn oxygen tank blew 200,000 miles from Earth. Mission Control and three astronauts brought the crew home alive.87hours to get home
  7. 1981Opening soonColumbiaTwo astronauts flew a brand-new winged spacecraft into orbit on its first flight and landed it like an airplane.1streusable spaceship