National Air and Space Museum Celebrates Women’s History Month

The Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum will celebrate Women’s History Month with activities at both museum locations and online. “We Can Do It! Women in Aviation and Space” will be the feature event at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Va., March 10, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., and will look back at groundbreaking women of the past and forward to what can be achieved by women in the future. Storytimes, hands-on activities and online resources will also be available throughout the month.

As part of the museum’s annual Heritage Family Day series, “We Can Do It! Women in Aviation and Space” will explore the immense impact women have had on the future of space, aviation and other STEM fields. The event will feature guest speakers, including “Lucky” Heather Penney, U.S. Air Force pilot and 9/11 responder, and Catherine Barclay, NASA exploration and space communications. There will be activities for all ages with Rosie the Riveter photo opportunities, women in aviation highlights tours of the museum, paper airplane contests and an Amelia Earhart reenactor. Visitors will also have the opportunity to learn about women in popular culture and female astronauts on the space shuttle from museum curators.

The Heritage Family Day series is made possible by the support of Northrup Grumman Corp.

During the month of March, “Flights of Fancy Story Time” will feature books celebrating women heroes and heritage, including Interstellar Cinderella by Deborah Underwood at the museum on the National Mall and I Am Amelia Earhart by Brad Meltzer at the Udvar-Hazy Center.

For all the museum’s resources and programs celebrating pioneering women in aerospace, visit https://airandspace.si.edu/womens-history.

The National Air and Space Museum’s Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center is located in Chantilly, Va., near Washington Dulles International Airport. The museum building on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., is located at Sixth Street and Independence Avenue S.W. Both facilities are open daily from 10 a.m. until 5:30 p.m. (closed Dec. 25). Admission is free, but there is a $15 fee for parking before 4 p.m. at the Udvar-Hazy Center.

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