SIA Timeline Parent:
SIA Timeline Event Body:
The National Air and Space Museum opens on the Mall. The ribbon-cutting is accomplished by an electrical impulse that originated in the Viking spacecraft then nearing Mars, burning the ribbon. The building was designed with a modern open design to accommodate the large aircraft and rockets. More - https://siarchives.si.edu/collections/siris_sic_1107.
Timeline Event Date:
Thursday, July 1, 1976
Timeline Event Image:
Timeline Event Image Caption:
President Gerald Ford and Michael Collins watch the Viking impulse cut the ribbon at opening ceremony for the new building. Smithsonian Institution Archives, Record Unit 371, Box 2, Folder August 1976.