Washington, D.C. – September 30, 2026 -- GE Aerospace has donated $1 million to the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum to reopen two dedicated classrooms for aerospace education, timed to coincide with the museum's 50th anniversary.
New classrooms expect to serve hundreds of students annually
The GE Aerospace Classrooms will function as hands-on learning spaces where K-12 students experiment with aerospace concepts using the museum's collection. The funding also covers staffing for a museum educator who will run reservable, object-based field trips called "Museum Labs" at the Washington location.
Gift follows a separate $1 million donation for the Demonstration Theater
The classroom funding builds on another recent $1 million contribution from GE Aerospace to sponsor the Demonstration Theater in the museum's "How Things Fly" gallery. That theater will host recurring interactive programs designed to simplify STEM concepts and flight science for visitors.
Museum leadership frames the gift as a workforce pipeline investment
Beth Crownover, the museum's Broh-Kahn Weil Director of Education, said the gift allows educators to engage students directly with historic artifacts and expose them to the careers required to maintain and present items viewed by millions of visitors each year. Meghan Thurlow, president of the GE Aerospace Foundation and global head of public affairs at GE Aerospace, said the initiative aims to expand hands-on learning ahead of future aerospace workforce needs.
Museum remains free with timed-entry requirements
The Washington, D.C. museum on Jefferson Drive is open daily except Dec. 25, from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., with free admission requiring timed-entry passes. The Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Virginia, follows the same hours with free admission, no timed-entry requirement for indoor visits, and $15 parking.