<P> The National Air and Space Museum of the Smithsonian Institution , also called the NASM , is a museum in Washington , D.C. . It was established in 1946 as the National Air Museum and opened its main building on the National Mall near L'Enfant Plaza in 1976 . In 2016 , the museum saw approximately 7.5 million visitors , making it the second most visited museum in the world , and the most visited museum in the United States . The museum contains the Apollo 11 command module , the Friendship 7 capsule which was flown by John Glenn , Charles Lindbergh 's Spirit of St. Louis , the Bell X-1 which broke the sound barrier , and the Wright brothers ' plane near the entrance . </P>
<P> The National Air and Space Museum of the Smithsonian Institution , also called the NASM , is a museum in Washington , D.C. . It was established in 1946 as the National Air Museum and opened its main building on the National Mall near L'Enfant Plaza in 1976 . In 2016 , the museum saw approximately 7.5 million visitors , making it the second most visited museum in the world , and the most visited museum in the United States . The museum contains the Apollo 11 command module , the Friendship 7 capsule which was flown by John Glenn , Charles Lindbergh 's Spirit of St. Louis , the Bell X-1 which broke the sound barrier , and the Wright brothers ' plane near the entrance . </P>
when did the smithsonian air and space museum open
when did the smithsonian air and space museum open
1976
1976