The Space Gallery will provide opportunities to educate the public about the rich history of the Air Force's space programs and vital Air Force, NASA, and aerospace industry partnerships.
The gallery will house the Museum's growing space collection, including a recently acquired Titan IV space launch vehicle and Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo capsules.
The feature exhibit will be a crew compartment trainer used to train shuttle orbiter crews at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston. The Museum plans to build a full-scale, mock-up of the payload bay and tail section to complement the trainer and create a full-sized orbiter exhibit. Interactive displays and exhibits will support science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education programs.
Several aircraft in the Museum's collection helped develop shuttle program technologies. These include an X-15, which was used to make the first manned probes into the lower edges of space and contributed significantly to the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo projects, as well as an X-24A and X-24B, which explored handling qualities of the wingless configuration for extended near-earth flight and conventional runway approaches and landings.
These spacecraft exemplify the close ties between the Air Force and NASA in manned spaceflight. A range of satellites and booster systems, spanning the entire history of the space age, will also illustrate the Air Force's vast reconnaissance, early warning, communications, and other space capabilities.presidential aircraft Museum Expansion
Presidential Aircraft Gallery
The Presidential Aircraft Gallery will allow the National Museum of the United States Air Force to relocate and expand one of its most popular exhibits.
Currently the presidential aircraft reside in a hangar located one mile from the main museum campus in a controlled-access area on Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. Visitors must be transported by bus to this facility, and with limited service only a small portion of the visitors are able to see the collection.
Relocating the Presidential Aircraft Gallery to the main facility will allow all visitors to see the presidential aircraft with interpretations of their related memorabilia. It will provide greater public understanding and appreciation for the Air Force's important mission of providing presidential transport and protecting the security of our nation.
Research & Development Gallery
Like the presidential collection, many of the museum's rare and one-of-kind research and development/flight test aircraft are housed in a hangar on the controlled-access portion of Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. Moving significant aircraft such as the only remaining XB-70 Valkyrie, the X-1B and the flying saucer-like Avrocar to the main complex will allow access to more people than ever before.
Global Reach Gallery
An important element of Air Force history will be told in the Global Reach Gallery. Providing airlift remains a major mission of the U.S. Air Force, and it forms a critical part of the Air Force's ability to maintain Global Reach.
To tell this vital story, the Global Reach Gallery will afford the opportunity to house large aircraft currently in its collection such as the C-141 Hanoi Taxi and those anticipated to become part of the collection such as a C-5 Galaxy and KC-135.
