Following months of closure for extensive renovations, the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum reopened its doors to visitors, with a completely refurbished wing adding several new interactive exhibits. 

The museum reopened Oct. 14 after being closed to the public since April 2022 as part of a project that originally began as an HVAC refurbishment. The renovations soon became a seven-year overhaul of the popular museum as the Smithsonian utilized the opportunity to structurally improve the building as well as offer a more modern, immersive experience for visitors. 

The renovation included upgrades to the planetarium, increased exhibition space and more interactive galleries. The project completes phase one of the museum’s renovation project, culminating in the reopening of the west wing, which houses eight exhibits as well as a café. The east wing, which houses an additional 15 exhibits, will remain closed for similar upgrades that are expected to be completed by 2025. The entire renovation project began in 2018. 

Christopher Browne, who serves as John and Adrienne Mars Director of the museum, said the renovation aims to provide a more immersive experience to visitors. 

“There’s a lot of new storytelling going on, some of it relating to past events but some of it is more current, with a fresher, more contemporary look than what previous visitors would have expected from their prior visits,” Browne said in an interview with The Hoya. “But importantly, we’re able to tell many new stories to a diverse and contemporary audience in ways that we were unable to previously.”

According to Browne, some of the most significant renovations have been to the planetarium, which is now able to connect to other planetariums around the country using screencasts so that people can have a similar immersive experience without having to travel to Washington, D.C. As a result of the renovations, the museum is expecting an increase in visitors and is currently requiring attendees to sign up for free timed tickets. 

Museum leadership is experimenting with the number of timed passes available in order to maximize the number of visitors and maintain a quality experience, according to Alison Mitchell, deputy director of communications at the Air and Space Museum.

“We do anticipate the museum will be very popular for quite some time,” Mitchell wrote to The Hoya. “The National Air and Space Museum was one of the most visited museums in the country prior to the renovation and we anticipate that popularity will not only continue but increase as a result of the renovation.”

The first phase of the project did not go without complications, as the COVID-19 pandemic presented a number of problems for the renovation crew, according to Browne.

“We had issues with supply chains and escalation of costs, and so COVID impacted both the schedule and the budget of the program,” Browne said. “I would say that was the major unexpected influence that did set us back a bit.”

According to Browne, the second half of the renovation will add 15 more galleries, reaching a total of 23 once the project is complete. In addition to the new galleries and exhibition space, the east wing will have a full restaurant, IMAX theater, and will house the Bezos Learning Center, a $130 million project funded by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, who donated a record-setting $200 million to the museum in 2021. 

The addition will feature 50,000 square feet of space intended to inspire younger generations to innovate. The Smithsonian said that it will not just focus on aerospace, but will connect to all of the museums in its system. Four firms have submitted design proposals for the center.

Browne said the new galleries will offer more interactive experiences for museum guests. 

“So we’ve got a lot of work ahead of us,” Browne said. “The galleries that we’ve opened have a lot of immersives and digital content, over 50 interactives, and so it’s a different kind of experience than what folks would remember, and we will carry that on into the east end as well.”

Browne said the renovations will enable younger generations to see the relevance of aerospace history for years to come.

“When you put all of these things together, you can solve incredible things like going to the moon when nobody thought it possible,” Browne said. “And I believe that the relevancy of museums like ours is as or more important than ever, in a world that is increasingly skeptical and doubting.”