On July 1, 1976, the National Air and Space Museum opened its doors to the public. It was an unforgettable debut for an iconic building, complete with a flyover from the Air Force’s Thunderbirds, speeches from President Gerald Ford (and a certain Apollo astronaut), and a ribbon-cutting triggered by a signal from a spacecraft on its way to Mars.

There was nothing quite like the National Air and Space Museum at the time, and thousands of people lined up on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. to be among the first to see artifacts like the Spirit of St Louis, the Apollo command module Columbia, and the Wright Flyer in the new building. Millions more have come through our doors over the last 50 years, and the Museum has continued to reinvent itself for future generations. Today on AirSpace, we’re launching our four-part limited series 50 Years of Air + Space with the story of our Museum’s Opening Day.

Thanks to all our guests in this episode (by order of appearance):

Dr. Bob van der Linden - Acting Chair of Aeronautics
Dr. Ted Maxwell - Retired Chair of the Center for Earth and Planetary Studies
Dr. Tom Crouch - Emeritus Curator
Dr. Cathleen Lewis - Curator of International Space Programs and Spacesuits
Dr. Michael Neufeld - Emeritus Curator and Smithsonian Historian
Dr. Lonnie G Bunch III - Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution

Find the transcript for this episode and more information at s.si.edu/50YearsE1.

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AirSpace is made possible with the generous support of Lockheed Martin.