Picturing Innovation

7 Oct 2017 — 11 Mar 2018 at the Chrysler Museum of Art in Norfolk, United States

26 August 2017

A researcher inspects a Gemini spacecraft mounted on a sting in the 11-Inch Hypersonic Tunnel in 1962. Courtesy NASA Langley Research Center

To commemorate the 100th anniversary of Nasa Langley Research Center in Hampton, VA, the Chrysler Museum mined the agency’s photographic archive, selecting pictures that highlight its rich history.

With more than 100 images, the exhibition depicts many of Langley’s pioneering innovations—from pilots testing experimental planes, to engineers operating the facility’s famous wind tunnels, to astronauts preparing to take the first steps on the moon.

A tribute to Langley’s advancements in aviation, atmospheric understanding, and extraterrestrial exploration, Picturing Innovation explores how photographs not only document innovations but also launching them ahead.

Chrysler Museum of Art

The history of the Chrysler Museum includes stories of 19th century feminist visionaries and a mid-20th century penny drive by schoolchildren to buy a single Renoir that was about the size of a paperback book. The exhibition history ranges from taxidermy displays and Confederate relics to paintings that had price tags attached.

Museum profile

Location

Norfolk, United States

Founded in

1971

Langley's First Wind Tunnel, ca. 1920
The honeycombed, screened center of this open-circuit air intake for Langley's first wind tunnel ensured a steady, non-turbulent flow of air. Two mechanics pose near the entrance end of the actual tunnel, where air was pulled into the test section through a honeycomb arrangement to smoothen the flow.
Courtesy NASA Langley Research Center

This multiple exposure shows a simulated Moon landing of the Lunar Excursion Module simulator/trainer at Langley's Lunar Landing Research Facility, now a National Historic Landmark. Courtesy NASA Langley Research Center

John H. Glenn, one of the Mercury Seven Astronauts, runs through a training exercise in the Mercury Procedures Trainer at the Space Task Group at Langley Field in 1960.
Courtesy NASA Langley Research Center

Langley's First Wind Tunnel, ca. 1920 The honeycombed, screened center of this open-circuit air intake for Langley's first wind tunnel ensured a steady, non-turbulent flow of air. Two mechanics pose near the entrance end of the actual tunnel, where air was pulled into the test section through a honeycomb arrangement to smoothen the flow. Courtesy NASA Langley Research Center
This multiple exposure shows a simulated Moon landing of the Lunar Excursion Module simulator/trainer at Langley's Lunar Landing Research Facility, now a National Historic Landmark. Courtesy NASA Langley Research Center
John H. Glenn, one of the Mercury Seven Astronauts, runs through a training exercise in the Mercury Procedures Trainer at the Space Task Group at Langley Field in 1960. Courtesy NASA Langley Research Center

This multiple exposure shows a simulated Moon landing of the Lunar Excursion Module simulator/trainer at Langley's Lunar Landing Research Facility, now a National Historic Landmark. Courtesy NASA Langley Research Center
John H. Glenn, one of the Mercury Seven Astronauts, runs through a training exercise in the Mercury Procedures Trainer at the Space Task Group at Langley Field in 1960. Courtesy NASA Langley Research Center
Langley's First Wind Tunnel, ca. 1920 The honeycombed, screened center of this open-circuit air intake for Langley's first wind tunnel ensured a steady, non-turbulent flow of air. Two mechanics pose near the entrance end of the actual tunnel, where air was pulled into the test section through a honeycomb arrangement to smoothen the flow. Courtesy NASA Langley Research Center