Nearly 4 million visit SPACE at Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, where it appeared in conjunction with NASA’s 50th anniversary celebration

Space: A Journey to Our Future appeared at Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum from June 2008 through January 2009, one of the featured events celebrating NASA’s 50th anniversary in the nation’s capital. 3.8 million visitors were reported to attend the exhibit.

Special content and displays, along with near-real-time updates, were presented in the exhibit by Evergreen in cooperation with a combined team of NASA and NASM content developers and scientists, including

• A special timeline marking milestone events in NASA’s history
• Models of the planned Ares I Crew Launch Vehicle and Ares V Cargo Launch Vehicle, both part of the Constellation Program to send human explorers back to the moon, and then onward to Mars and other destinations in the solar system
• A large scale display of the planned Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle, the new spacecraft that will transport astronauts
• Updates throughout the exhibit to reflect the very latest future plans and vision for space exploration
• Special added NASA interactives titled Build Your Own Spacecraft, NASA Home and City, and Return to Camelot
• New video animations: Orion Mission and Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter
• Primers and displays on the Constellation Program, the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, the James Webb Space Telescope, SOFIA and more

The exhibition was one part of a broader schedule of events and activities planned around NASA’s 50th anniversary celebration.
A special event marked the exhibit’s opening, featuring Christopher Scolese, Acting Administrator for NASA; General John R. Dailey, director of the National Air and Space Museum; Kenneth W. Cole, Vice President, Global Public Policy and Government Relations for General Motors; Kenneth S. Reightler, Jr., Vice President, NASA Program Integration, Lockheed Martin Space Systems; and Ronald D. Dittemore, president of ATK Launch Systems.

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Learn more about NASA’s 50th Anniversary celebration

(Christopher Scolese, Acting Administrator for NASA, speaking at the opening reception)

(Model of Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle, planned by NASA)

(Models of planned Ares I and Ares V vehicles, part of the Constellation program)