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A F-100D aircraft dropping a napalm bomb near Bien Hoa, South Vietnam

Visit us in Washington, DC and Chantilly, VA to explore hundreds of the world’s most significant objects in aviation and space history. Free timed-entry passes are required for the Museum in DC.
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Messerschmitt Me 262 A-1a Schwalbe (Swallow)

Nicknamed Schwalbe (Swallow), the Messerschmitt Me 262 surpassed the performance of every other World War II fighter. Faster than the North American P-51 Mustang by 190 kilometers (120 miles) per hour ...
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The Space Race

What exactly was the Space Race? Why did we care so much? The Space Race grew out of the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union, the most powerful countries after World War II. For a ...
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Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center

Visit us in Washington, DC and Chantilly, VA to explore hundreds of the world’s most significant objects in aviation and space history. Free timed-entry passes are required for the Museum in DC.
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Rolls-Royce Olympus Mk. 30101 Turbojet Engine

In April 1946, Bristol began studies of a turbojet to power long-range, high altitude bombers at 960 km/hr (600 mph). The B.01 1 Olympus, the first British dual-shaft turbine engine, first ran in May ...
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Echo 1 Communications Satellite

Visit us in Washington, DC and Chantilly, VA to explore hundreds of the world’s most significant objects in aviation and space history. Free timed-entry passes are required for the Museum in DC.
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Korea and Vietnam Aviation

Visit us in Washington, DC and Chantilly, VA to explore hundreds of the world’s most significant objects in aviation and space history. Free timed-entry passes are required for the Museum in DC.
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Curtiss JN-4D Jenny

The Curtiss JN-4D is almost synonymous with American aviation in the 1920s. The Jenny, as it was affectionately called, appeared in 1917. Heretofore having only produced pusher aircraft, Glenn Curtiss ...
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Clock, Launch Countdown, Space Shuttle

Visit us in Washington, DC and Chantilly, VA to explore hundreds of the world’s most significant objects in aviation and space history. Free timed-entry passes are required for the Museum in DC.
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Get Involved

Your time and talents can help make the most visited museum in the country even more extraordinary. Find out about opportunities to get involved below. We offer opportunities to engage for a variety ...
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North American SNJ-4 (AT-6)

Browse our collections, stories, research, and on demand content. The SNJ-4 is a derivative of a trainer ordered by the U. S. Army in 1935 and designated as the BT-9 (Basic Trainer No. 9). North ...
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Body Art During World War II: From the Lyle Tuttle Tattoo Art Collection

For the museum’s blog series commemorating the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II, I have focused on the Museum’s art collection and the embedded meanings in the paintings of Robert Jordan ...