The facility houses the Space Shuttle Discovery, which flew 39 missions, the most of any NASA orbiter.
The Enola Gay, the B-29 that dropped the first atomic bomb, underwent extensive restoration here before being put on display.
The center contains the Boeing 367-80, the prototype for the Boeing 707 and the company's entire line of jet airliners.
The facility's design includes a specific structure to support the weight of the Space Shuttle, which weighs approximately 165,000 pounds.
Visitors can look directly into the Mary Baker Engen Restoration Hangar, where conservators work on artifacts in real-time.
The main hangar is large enough to accommodate the 190-foot wingspan of the Concorde.
The museum holds the Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird, the fastest air-breathing manned aircraft ever built.
The Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center is the secondary facility of the National Air and Space Museum, housing thousands of aviation and space artifacts that cannot fit in the downtown Washington, D.C. location. The facility features two massive hangars: the Boeing Aviation Hangar and the James S. McDonnell Space Hangar. Visitors can view the Space Shuttle Discovery, the B-29 Superfortress 'Enola Gay,' and the Concorde. An observation tower, the Donald D. Engen Observation Tower, provides a 360-degree view of Washington Dulles International Airport's runways. The center serves as the museum's primary restoration and preservation facility. It is located in Chantilly, Virginia, directly adjacent to the airport. The expansive floor plan allows for the display of large-scale aircraft suspended from the ceiling and at floor level.
The mezzanine level overlooking the Space Shuttle Discovery provides the best wide-angle perspective for photography.
Prioritize visiting the observation tower early in the day to view aircraft movements at the adjacent airport.
Wear comfortable walking shoes as the facility covers a massive footprint with significant floor space.
Use the free museum map to locate specific hangars, as the scale of the building makes it easy to miss entire sections.
Avoid arriving without checking the museum website for any special events that may limit access to specific hangars.
Open daily year-round, except for December 25th.
No food or drink is permitted inside the galleries; backpacks must be worn on the front of the body or carried.
