Aviation is americas story. We went from the first power controlled man flight to walking on the moon 66 years. The air and space museum shows you exactly that history. Everything that we have as a special significance to the development of aviation and space in this country. I came and saw this aircraft. I remember it so well. As a small boy. My father explaining to me what it was with the first airplane. To ever fly. Here we are in the same room with the planes the Wright Brothers flew. One of the main perpetrator is to preserve the artifacts forever. Sure you can have reproductions or mockups, but here you have the real thing. It did it first or better than anybody else. You have to stop a little bit and think about the story as you view the object. I always find something marvelous, something that completely surprises me. The Discovery Space shuttle is so significant. And it is so quintessential smithsonian. This is the shuttle that has inspired a generation to realize the importance of space flight. Our mission is to commemorate, educate and inspire. Its wonderful to see the young people come in here and be inspired by things that have happened before and maybe be inspired to do a little better in math and science and technology and their school work. So important for young people to really get a good education in stem. They see what has been accomplished in the past, and then they think about well, what can i do . It really changed my life. It changed my direction. It helped orient me along the path of becoming a scientist. Who knows what you will be inspired to be the next person on mars. The Space Exploration should continue. The Smithsonian National air and space museum is more than just the collection here on the mall. Its inspiration. We can inspire, then we have done Everything Else right. [ applause ] [ applause ] good evening, ladies and gentlemen, im jack dailey, the john and Adrienne Mars director of the Smithsonian National air and space museum. And its my honor to welcome you here tonight as we commemorate 40 years of inspiring the world and celebrate a new chapter for the worlds most popular museum. For kicking us off with a high style tonight, id like to thank the United States air force band ceremonial brass quintet. Please give them a round of applause. [ applause ] the air force band serenades here frequently during the summer. So if you watch the schedule, you can hear the entire program among your friends here at the museum. When the museum first opened in july 1st, 1976, president ford called it a perfect birthday present from the American People to themselves. And we often say that aviation is americas story. But the revolution in the skies sparked by the Wright Brothers more than a century ago belongs to the world. The astronauts who saw the earth from the moon only 66 years after the first flight at kitty hawk had a special perspective on the Global Impact of that first small step. The director who oversaw this museums construction and stood on these very steps to open the doors 40 years ago was none other than Major GeneralMichael Collins, United States air force retired. Command module pilot for apollo 11. Here to tell us more about our early days, id like to introduce a short video featuring general collins. I came to washington sneaking up on 1976, and i used to run around town saying museum on the mall by the bicentennial. My name is mike collins. At one time was in the Space Program on project gemini and apollo, which you know is the first flight to the moon. After that i was lucky enough to be director of this museum, the national air and space museum. So many of the things in it, the artifacts in it are old friends of mine. And some of them way before my time. We were supposed to open july 4th, 1976. And we actually beat it by three days, july 1st, 1976. We were supposed to cut the ribbon out here, the ribbon on the mall side of the building declaring it open. The signal came from a spacecraft between here and mars and outer space. I was holding my breath, thinking all those electrons gone lost up there in space. And all these vips standing around looking at this ribbon and this mechanical shearing device and nothing would happen. But believe it or not, all the electrons did their cute Little Things and the ribbon got snipped and the building got opened. It was good. At the peak of the Apollo Program when Neil Armstrong stepped out on to the surface of the moon, that i think was kind of the peak of the interest that the American Public had. Buildings like this do a lot to sustain that level of interest. And thats one of the things that i think is very important about this beautiful surrounding, the national air and space museum, which is a vital part of the smithsonian institution. [ applause ] the museum general collins built, like the ship he flew to the moon, a priceless treasure to the people of the world. And im honored to follow in his footsteps as director. As he mentioned, there was tension about whether the signal from mars would come in time to cut the ribbon. Just in case, the president of the United States was on hand with a pair of scissors as a backup. But viking performed flawlessly. Just days later, the viking i lander became the First American spacecraft to land on mars. In 1984, after its mission was complete, nasa formally transferred the ownership of viking i lander to the museum. Of course we havent been able to collect it yet. So nasa, working with the jet Propulsion Lab and the university of arizona was kind enough to check in on it for us. And this picture was taken by the highrise camera aboard the mars reconnaissance orbiter to celebrate the museums 40th birthday. It demonstrates the challenge ahead, and we have Unfinished Business on mars. And its up to the men and women of this museum to inspire the next generation to take up the task. It would be impossible to recognize all the staff of volunteers who have performed the museums mission over the decades. But we are honored to have ten of them with us here tonight who have been here as part of the team since the very beginning, 40 years ago. As i call your name, please stand. Phil edwards. [ applause ] karen manus. [ applause ] im glad i didnt ask you to hold your applause. This is much better than waiting until the end. Okay. Ted maxwell. [ applause ] barbara omalley. [ applause ] bill rowe. [ applause ] chris strain [ applause ] mark taylor. [ applause ] bob vanderlinden. [ applause ] estelle washington. [ applause ] and ken young. [ applause ] together they have dedicated more than 400 years to this museum in its hundreds of millions of visitors, and are the perfect representatives of our committed staff, present, path, and future. Please give them now, please give them a round of applause for their extraordinary service. [ applause ] the national air and space museum is just one part of the smithsonian institution. It is the centerpiece, but its just one part of the smithsonian. Which includes 19 and soon to be 20 museums, 9 Research Centers and Extensive Global outreach activities. We wouldnt be able to fulfill our mission at the Museum Without james smithsons mandate for the increase and diffusion of knowledge which has guided the smithsonian for almost 170 years. Our next feature arrive at the smithsonian in 1976 for the nations bicentennial celebration. For many years he directed the center for folk life and cultural heritage. So if you enjoyed the smithsonians folk life festival out on the mall today, you have him to thank. Now he oversees all of the institutions museums and Research Centers, and a list of other centers and programs and activities too numerous to list, to list. Its my great pleasure to introduce the acting provost and undersecretary for museums and research, dr. Richard curran. Richard . [ applause ] thank you. Thank you, jack. As general dailey said, i was i first worked for the smithsonian. I was young then. I was 25 years old and first worked for the smithsonian when this museum opened. This during that time we were celebrating the bicentennial of the United States. 200 years of our country. And just remember what it was like then. Now younger people will not. But those of a certain age will. We were in a space race with the russians, with the soviets. There was a cold war going on. And the whole challenge to go to space, when president kennedy just over here in front of the capitol at his inauguration challenged the country to send a man to the moon and back before the end of the decade, that was fresh in our minds. And so when we went to space and when this museum was built, it was really a monument to our country in terms of our science, technology, and engineering. The kind of innovation that made us great and historically has made us great as a country. But it was even more than that. And if you were here 40 years ago when this museum opened, you recognized at that time just as those who are old enough to remember when Neil Armstrong set foot on the moon, that this was a victory not only of science and engineering technology, but national unity, national imagination. We were all very much together as americans at that time and very proud of our national accomplishment. Now this museum has continued to inspire, as jack said, millions and millions. Over 350 Million People have walked through this museum. Theyve worn out the carpet many times. But generation after generation has been inspired with what theyve seen and looked up. And many a child walked through this museum and said i want to be an astronaut or an astrophysicist, or i want to be a pilot, or i want to be the person that makes these things happen and designs these airplanes and spaceships. And so this has really been an inspirational place for our country, for our citizens, and people around the world who have been here. Now, jack is Michael Collins successor, right . Down a few steps, who built this museum. And thats something jack and i shared. Because after mike collins was the director of this museum, he became the undersecretary of the smithsonian. And im very proud to occupy that office today. And as i often say, mike collins had to go to the moon and back to do all this. All i have to do is walk up a flight of stairs. But it makes me ever so proud to be part of this effort, part of the museum, part of the smithsonian that really serves all of you, all of us and people beyond. We take very seriously the idea of our mission of increasing and diffusing knowledge of inspiring the next generation. Its a great responsibility we share. And tonight we are so, so happy to celebrate this birthday. And you have not only the people here, but were joined by others who have special birthday greetings. Happy birthday. Happy birthday. Happy birthday. Happy birthday. Happy birthday. Happy birthday. Happy birthday. Happy 40th birthday. Happy 40th birthday. Happy 40th birthday. Thank you for inspiring me and my fellow astronauts. Congratulations. Congratulations. Congratulations on 40 years of excellence. Keep inspiring those generations of future space explorers, to aim high and reach for the stars. Congratulations to the national air and space museum on 40 fabulous years. Happy birthday to the national air and space museum. Nasa wishes you many more decades of inspiring the next generation to reach higher and to explore. Keep empowering those kids to live their dreams. Happy birthday, national air and space museum. [ applause ] over the last 40 years weve opened many new galleries and exhibitions, including the stateoftheart steven f. Udvarhazy center in chantilly, virginia. But the heart of the museum has always been our central exhibit space, now called the boeing milestones of flight hall. More than 327 Million People have passed through the doors behind me into one of the worlds great public spaces dedicated to discovery and exploration. As we transform the gallery for the next 300 million visitors, we work to interpret the priceless treasures of human achievement, not merely display them. The new exhibits capture the spark behind the milestone stories and fire the imagination like never before. According to a recent study, the world needs more than a million pilots and aviation technicians to meet the goal of demand over the next 20 years. That kind of growth requires investment on a global scale, and there is no better place to engage the young people of the world than the boeing milestones of flight hall. Id like to thank boeing for supporting our mission and to inspire the millions who will pass through these doors in the years ahead. Its now my great pleasure to welcome greta lundberg, the Vice President for strategy and advocacy at boeing. Greta . [ applause ] thank you so much. Thank you, general dailey for your service to our country and for your leadership of this Great American institution. Im greta lundeberg, Vice President for strategy and advocacy at the boeing company. And its an honor to be here with you tonight to celebrate the boeing milestone of flight hall during our centennial year as well as this museums 40th anniversary. And also my birthday. So its a special night for me as well. [ applause ] thanks. As a mother of a 4yearold, my daughter talks a lot about what she wants to be when she grows up. Some weeks its a firefighter. Other weeks its batman or wonder woman. But after countless visits to the air and space museum, all she talks about now is wanting to be an astronaut. While her Career Options may evolve, i know shell never lose that fascination with space and science and innovation, and thats a testament to the stories and experiences this place unlocks for its millions of visitors each year. Thats the reason that boeing has supported the national air and space museum for more than two decades. We agree with the museum that our goals should be inspiring the next generation of innovators and building on the progress of the last century. Now this july 15th, 100 years ago, our founder bill boeing got his start in a Little Red Barn in seattle. Building planes made almost entirely of timber and canvas. Over the past century, the men and women of boeing have helped build the Worlds LargestAerospace Company and shaped the course of Human History along the way. Just think about the progress that weve made together. Humans went from walking on earth to walking on the moon. From riding horses to flying jet planes and spacecraft. And while we celebrate the pioneers that built this incredible legacy of american innovation, its more important than ever for our country to inspire a new generation of leaders, to dream, to innovate, to explore, and to inspire. As you make your way through the galleries tonight i would ask that you just imagine the artifacts and stories that will narrate our next 100 years, and we look forward to being part of that at boeing. Thank you all for coming out tonight. And enjoy the museum. [ applause ] our next speaker knows how important that first spark can be to set you on a path to great achievement. After her first air show when she was 5 and a notable visit to this museum when she was 12, her path led to the Civil Air Patrol and onto the United States air force academy. From there, she became a respected air force officer and decorated combat pilot. By the way, she flew her combat in the f1580 strike eagle. I should mention she also had her husband as a crew member on that. So it was a real Family Affair on that one. As the first female member of the elite Thunderbird Demonstration Team and later she was a white house fellow and executive director of joining forces, she embodies one of aviations core lessons. From milestones to moon shots, it takes courage to attempt the things that no one has done before and unshakeable confidence to achieve your goals. She is an outstanding role model for any young person who aims high in life and shes not done yet. Its my great pleasure to introduce colonel nicole malachowski. [ applause ] good evening, everyone, and thank you, general dailey for those gracious, gracious words. Its always a joy to be here, sir. And it is an honor, like all of you to be standing here at this iconic aviation museum. It is a museum that embodies everything that is great about our country, freedom, innovation, technology, creativity, and big dreams. Today were here to trumpet the significance of milestones, the 40th anniversary of this museum is a milestone. All of the milestones over time in aviation and space flight. It got me thinking about milestones like why do we celebrate them and why do we mark them as important. Milestones are those events along the arc of history, big ones and small ones that in this case have transformed aviation and space flight in so many ways. Oftentimes its ways that people often remark that mankind could never even have imagined. You have heard that statement, that mankind could never even have imagined. Is that really true . Isnt it in fact our milestones imagination that these milestones and in our imaginations these milestones are conceived and ultimately achieved . Over the past 40 years as the other speakers noted this museums that parked imagination of countless visitors young and old alike. And it was this place that sparked my own imagination in 1986. As a young 12yearold girl, i walked these halls, spending an entire day notebook in hand, reading eve