In support of an official event 

The Museum will be closed Sunday, May 25
In addition, the Fourth Hangar will be closed Saturday, May 24

Access to the Presidential Gallery will be limited from May 15 to June 5
 

Fact Sheet Alphabetical List

Fact Sheet Search

  • Martin X-24B

    The X-24B aircraft showed that a “lifting body” could glide through the atmosphere and make a precise landing on a runway like an airplane. A lifting body is a fixed-wing air or spacecraft in which the body itself produces lift. X-24 studies supported space shuttle development in the early 1970s.

  • Martin X-24A

    This aircraft represents the Martin (now Lockheed Martin) X-24A, which the U.S. Air Force and NASA flew to study flight characteristics and maneuverability of “lifting bodies.” A lifting body is a fixed-wing air or spacecraft -- such as the space shuttle -- in which the body itself produces lift.

  • McDonnell XH-20 Little Henry

    The XH-20 was essentially a test stand built to research ramjet-propelled helicopter rotor blades. The XH-20 first flew in May 1947, but its fuel was delivered through a flexible line from tanks on the ground. In May 1948, it made its first flight with self-contained fuel tanks. Being a test stand,

  • McDonnell XF-85 Goblin

    The McDonnell Aircraft Corp. developed the XF-85 Goblin "parasite" fighter to protect B-36 bombers flying far beyond the range of conventional escort fighters. The "parent" B-36 would carry the XF-85 within a bomb bay -- if enemy fighters appeared, the Goblin would be lowered on a trapeze and

  • Martin B-57B Canberra

    After the Korean War began in 1950, the U.S. Air Force looked for a jet-powered medium bomber to quickly replace the aging, propeller-driven Douglas B-26 Invader. In March 1951 the USAF contracted with Martin to build the British Canberra in the United States under license. The Martin-built B-57

  • Martin B-26G Marauder

    Although the Marauder did not make its first flight until Nov. 25, 1940, its design showed such promise that the Air Corps ordered 1,131 B-26s in September 1940. The B-26 began flying combat missions in the Southwest Pacific in the spring of 1942, but most were subsequently assigned to Europe and

  • Martin Marietta LGM-118A Peacekeeper

    The Peacekeeper served as the U.S. Air Force’s most powerful, accurate and technologically advanced Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) deterrent from 1986 to 2005. Conceived to replace the Minuteman ICBMs, its development began in the early 1970s under the name “Missile, Experimental,” or

  • Method of Shooting Against Monoplace

    Note: This item is currently in storage.This newsletter, written for aircraft gunners and observers, describes the proper tactics of defensive shooting against enemy pursuit aircraft. The document was written in October 1917, by Lt. Pierre Sainflou of the French Aeronautique Militaire. Translated

  • Mexican Border Service Medal

    Note: This item is currently in storage.This Mexican Border Service Medal was awarded to Gen. Nathan Twining (Oct. 11, 1897-March 29, 1982), who served as a corporal with Company H of the Third Oregon Infantry (National Guard) on the U.S.-Mexico border from June through September 1916. In 1919 he

  • MJ-1 Lift Truck

    Note: This item is currently in storage.The MJ-1 is a standard lift truck used to transport, load and unload a wide variety of munitions and other stores. A 25-hp engine powers the drive wheels and cantilever lift arm, which has a capacity of 3,000 pounds. The MJ-1 (also called a "jammer") has