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Sci-Fi on Display

This X-wing from Star Wars got a museum-ready makeover!

Courtesy of the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum/Jim Preston

1. The Restoration Hangar of the Udvar-Hazy Center is full of famous historical planes, like this in-progress B-26 Marauder “Flak-Bait.”

2. Parts of the X-wing were left intentionally weathered and battle-worn, to give it a realistic feel. These scuffs and dirt marks make it seem like a real fighter vehicle.

3. While being restored, the X-wing stands on the ground, supported by landing gear. Ultimately, it will be displayed hanging from the ceiling.

Outside Washington, D.C., space shuttles, fighter jets, and other aircraft are on display. They’re kept in two large hangars that make up the Smithsonian’s Udvar-Hazy Center. It’s an archive and restoration center for the National Air and Space Museum (NASM). The newest addition to this lineup is a bit more fantastical: It’s an X-wing, a fighter spacecraft flown by Poe Dameron in the movie Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.

Fictional vehicles may sound like an odd choice to display in a history museum, but they play a key role in aviation history, says Margaret Weitekamp. She’s the curator for the NASM’s social and cultural history collection.

“Imagination and inspiration have always been really important parts of the history of flight,” Weitekamp says. “Since 1977, Star Wars has been a powerful and persuasive vision of what spaceflight could look like in several centuries.”

Just outside Washington, D.C., you can see space shuttles, fighter jets, and other historical aircraft. They’re on display in two large hangars at the Smithsonian’s Udvar-Hazy Center, run by the National Air and Space Museum (NASM). Visitors will soon be able to check out something a bit more fantastical: a model of an X-wing. Poe Dameron flies this fictional fighter spacecraft in the movie Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.

Why show off an imaginary vehicle in a history museum? Because science fiction plays a key role in aviation history, says Margaret Weitekamp, a curator at NASM. “Imagination and inspiration have always been really important parts of the history of flight,” Weitekamp says. “Since 1977, Star Wars has been a powerful and persuasive vision of what spaceflight could look like in several centuries.”

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The X-wing will eventually move to the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C.

The X-wing is scheduled to go on display later this year, soaring next to the planetarium at the main museum. But before it can go on display, conservationists and curators had to figure out how to hang it up safely. “As a screen-use vehicle, it was designed for shots where it’s standing on its [landing] gear,” says Weitekamp. “We’re interested in hanging it, which puts all the stresses on the vehicle from the opposite direction.”

Conservation teams carried out test hangs by suspending the X-wing a few feet off the floor. This showed how much weight the cables could hold and how stable the vehicle was. “You do a test and see how it looks under conditions where the object stays safe,” says Weitekamp.

The conservation team also touched up the X-wing itself. They were careful not to remove any details that made the vehicle feel like it was used. But some muck made sense to remove, such as grease and dust on the X-wing’s windshield. “Even in a galaxy far, far away, a pilot wants a good line of sight,” says Weitekamp.

The X-wing is scheduled to go on display later this year. Museum conservationists and curators first had to figure out how to hang it up safely. The model was designed for movie scenes where it’s standing on its landing gear, says Weitekamp. But hanging it from the ceiling with cables puts the stress on the top of the vehicle, not the bottom.

Museum staff started by suspending the X-wing a few feet off the floor. This helped them determine how stable the model was and how much weight the cables could hold. If one of these test hangs failed, the X-wing wouldn’t have far to fall. “You do a test and see how it looks under conditions where the object stays safe,” says Weitekamp.

The conservation team also touched up the X-wing model. They were careful not to remove any details that made the vehicle appear used. But they did clean some grease and dust off of the X-wing’s windshield. “Even in a galaxy far, far away, a pilot wants a good line of sight,” says Weitekamp.     

Determine whether these questions about the NASM and the X-wing are statistical or nonstatistical. Record your work and answers on our answer sheet.

Determine whether these questions about the NASM and the X-wing are statistical or nonstatistical. Record your work and answers on our answer sheet.

How many objects in each of the following categories are on display at the NASM: airplanes, space vehicles, and fictional vehicles?

How many objects in each of the following categories are on display at the NASM: airplanes, space vehicles, and fictional vehicles?

How many people visited the Restoration hangar of the Udvar-Hazy Center in each of the past 5 years?

How many people visited the Restoration hangar of the Udvar-Hazy Center in each of the past 5 years?

What are the 5 most popular objects on display at the NASM?

What are the 5 most popular objects on display at the NASM?

How heavy is the X-wing that will go on display at the NASM?

How heavy is the X-wing that will go on display at the NASM?

For how many minutes of the Star Wars movie did the X-wing appear?

For how many minutes of the Star Wars movie did the X-wing appear?

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