Steven F Udvar-Hazy Center

Specialties

The Steven F. Udvar-​Hazy Center near Washington Dulles International Airport is the companion facility to the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum on the National Mall. Among the aviation artifacts on display are the Lockheed SR-​71 Blackbird; the Boeing Dash 80; the Boeing B-​29 Superfortress Enola Gay; and the deHavilland Chipmunk aerobatic airplane. Hundreds of famous spacecraft, rockets, satellites and space-​related artifacts can be seen, including the Space Shuttle Enterprise; the Gemini VII space capsule; the Mobile Quarantine Unit; and a Redstone rocket. The Donald D. Engen Observation Tower provides an excellent location from which visitors can watch air traffic at Dulles Airport. The Center also offers the Airbus IMAX Theater; flight simulators; food service; a museum store; free docent tours; educational programs; and school group tours and activities.

History

Established in 2003.

The building opened in December, 2003, and provides enough space for the Smithsonian to display the thousands of aviation and space artifacts that cannot be exhibited on the National Mall. The two sites together showcase the largest collection of aviation and space artifacts in the world. The Center was named in honor of its major donor, and features the large Boeing Aviation Hangar in which aircraft are displayed on three levels. The James S. McDonnell Space Hangar opened in November 2004 and displays hundreds of space-​related artifacts. A special feature of the Center is the National Aviation and Space Exploration Wall of Honor. Situated along the entryway to the Center, the Wall of Honor is a permanent memorial to the thousands of people who have contributed to our aviation and space exploration heritage. Names of honorees are inscribed on the air-​foil-​shaped wall, which will continue to grow in the years to come.

Meet the Manager

John D.

Manager

Gen. John R. «Jack» Dailey, a retired U.S. Marine Corps general and pilot, assumed the duties of director of the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum in January 2000.

Dailey came to the museum from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, where he had been the associate deputy administrator since retiring from the U.S. Marine Corps (1992 – 1999). At NASA, he led the agency’s internal operations.

His career in the Marine Corps spanned 36 years and included extensive command and staff experience. He has flown more than 7,000 hours in a wide variety of aircraft and helicopters. During two tours in Vietnam, he flew 450 missions. He was promoted to the rank of general and named Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps in 1990. He has numerous personal decorations for his service in the Marine Corps and NASA.

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John D. says,

«The Steven F. Udvar-​Hazy Center is the companion facility to the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum on the National Mall.»