Summer is a spectacular time to visit the Intrepid Museum. In addition to multiple interior decks, the famed flight deck is prime for exploring, with 28 authentically restored aircraft set against the backdrop of the New York City skyline.
SurFeRGiRL30/Flickr
The Intrepid Museum was founded in 1982 with the acquisition of the aircraft carrier USS Intrepid, now a National Historic Landmark, which served tours of duty in World War II and the Vietnam War. (It also played a role in the Space Race, as a recovery vessel for the Gemini and Mercury space missions, in addition to tracking Soviet submarines among other duties during the Cold War.)
Today, the Museum welcomes more than one million visitors a year to its home on the Hudson River at the western edge of Midtown. Among the aircraft you can see up close are the high-altitude Lockheed A-12, the world’s fastest military jet and spy plane; the supersonic jet Concorde, newly returned after a seven-month restoration; and the submarine Growler, the only American guided nuclear missile submarine open to the public.
There’s also an 18,000 sq. ft. education center; Pier 86, a public waterfront area that’s part of the Hudson River Park Trust; and the Exploreum, an interactive hall focused on themes of water, space, air, and life at sea.
NOW ON VIEW | APOLLO: WHEN WE WENT TO THE MOON
After World War II, an intense rivalry formed between the United States and the Soviet Union: the Space Race was on. Both countries had one mission, to put the first humans on the Moon. On July 20th, 1969, the United States won. Apollo 11 astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first humans to walk on a surface that wasn't the Earth. This achievement transformed humanity’s understanding of our world and our potential to reach beyond its boundaries.
The exhibition Apollo: When We Went to the Moon tells this amazing story through interactive media, photos, and rarely seen artifacts from the U.S. Space & Rocket Center, which co-produced the show with exhibition company Flying Fish. Explore the people, technology, and world events that defined this pivotal moment. The show further sets the stage for NASA’s current Moon to Mars campaign.
The setting itself is amazing, within the Museum’s epic Space Shuttle Pavilion. The world’s first space shuttle, Enterprise, is housed here. Take your time and check out the craft from every angle, a technological leap forward that paved the way for America’s successful Space Shuttle Program.
SUMMER EVENTS AT THE INTREPID MUSEUM
Free Fridays are back! The Intrepid Museum is once again extending its hours free of charge from 5-9pm on the fourth Friday of the month. Special programming includes the popular Summer Movie Series.
In connection with the Apollo exhibition, the movies this summer will feature Moon stories. Guests are invited to bring lawn chairs, picnic baskets, and blankets to view the film outdoors, free of charge, on a huge inflatable screen on the flight deck. Seating is available on a first-come, first-served basis and space is limited. Light concessions will be sold onsite, and visitors are encouraged to bring their own food and non-alcoholic beverages. Alcohol is NOT permitted. All exits are final; there is no re-entry allowed. Doors open at 5pm and close at 8:30pm. Movies begin at sunset.
Friday, July 26th. First Man (2018). Follow the incredible journey of Neil Armstrong and the challenges faced by NASA's Apollo program, culminating in the historic Apollo 11 mission.
Friday, August 23rd. Moonfall (2022). When a mysterious force knocks the Moon from its orbit and sends it hurtling toward Earth, a NASA executive, an astronaut, and a conspiracy theorist must work together to save humanity.
Also on Friday, July 26th, look for Astronomy Night, part of the Astro Live Series. The featured speaker of the evening will be Artemis Launch Director Charlie Blackwell Thompson, who will share her experience in Firing Room 1 of Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Control Center for the historic launch of Artemis I. Learn about the significance of NASA’s Artemis missions and the plan to return humanity, including the first woman and person of color, to the surface of the Moon.
On Friday, August 16th, look for the museum to stay open after hours for its Summer Tasting Fest. The USS Intrepid’s 81st anniversary will be celebrated, while more than 100 different samples of wine, spirits, and brews are served. There will also be food and interactive games, running 8-11:30pm.
OTHER EXHIBITIONS ON VIEW
The Intrepid Museum has also recently brought home two amazing artifacts from its legendary past.
CORSAIR
On March 18, 1945, 19 U.S. Navy F4U Corsair fighter-bombers flew off USS Intrepid with orders to strike a naval air base on the northern end of Kyushu in the Japanese Islands as part of a final push to end the war in the Pacific. While their mission was successful, sadly, two aircraft did not return. Seventy-eight years later, fragments of one of those downed planes came home to Intrepid. The Intrepid Museum recently debuted a new permanent exhibit, Final Flight: The Story of a World War II Corsair, centered around those aircraft fragments and dedicated to telling the story of one of the downed pilots, by all accounts known to be Loren Isley, who was flying his first combat mission.
The exhibit features artifacts, rare photographs, and an immersive installation, bringing to life the discovery of the Corsair, the young pilot’s journey, and the intricate scientific and technical processes behind preserving artifacts from underwater environments.
SKYRAY
Allan Harris/Flickr.
A Douglas F4D-1 Skyray, the very plane that was deployed on Intrepid from 1961-1962, was painstakingly restored and added to the Museum’s storied aircraft collection on the flight deck in the summer of 2022.
The Skyray was designed to be a high-altitude fleet protection interceptor, fast enough to catch and neutralize an approaching enemy bomber flying at 500 knots. Skyrays set many speed and time-to-climb records in their day as they were able to reach supersonic speeds. Named for the unique shape of its wing (which resembles a manta ray), the Skyray went into operation with the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps in 1956.
Photo by Gregor Schram on Unsplash.
The Intrepid Museum is a unique cultural institution illuminating the intersection of history and innovation through the people who lived it and the technology that made extraordinary accomplishments possible. It fulfills its mission to promote the understanding of history, science, and service in order to honor, educate, and inspire.
Pier 86 (W. 46th St. & 12th Ave.), 212-245-0072, intrepidmuseum.org
