San Diego Air & Space Museum, Aviation and space museum in Balboa Park, United States.
The San Diego Air & Space Museum houses aircraft, spacecraft, and technological exhibits throughout multiple galleries inside the Ford Building in Balboa Park. The collections span from early aviation to modern space exploration, displayed across specialized themed sections.
A major fire destroyed the original museum in 1978, but it reopened in 1980 inside the Ford Building, originally constructed for the 1935 California Pacific International Exposition. This recovery transformed the historic structure into a key cultural institution for the region.
The International Air & Space Hall of Fame, reached through a hallway of the museum, displays portraits of aviation pioneers; exhibits along it cover Jacqueline "Jackie" Cochran and the Women Airforce Service Pilots. The museum also holds California lunar sample displays. The restoration shop can be toured when work is under way.
The museum operates daily and offers interactive exhibits, flight simulators, and guided tours suitable for all ages. Weekday visits are generally less crowded, making it easier to explore the galleries at your own pace.
The museum holds the California lunar sample displays, moon rock and soil specimens returned by the Apollo missions and prepared for public exhibition. The Ford Building itself was constructed for the 1935–36 California Pacific International Exposition, and its circular design by architect Walter Dorwin Teague was inspired by the shape of a Ford V8 engine.
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