WASHINGTON DC — A full-scale model of the Blue Origin New Shepard crew capsule is displayed in the newly opened Futures in Space exhibit hall at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. The reusable capsule, designed to transport paying passengers on suborbital flights, represents the shift from government-only spaceflight to commercial space tourism. Blue Origin developed the six-person capacity vehicle with large windows to allow tourists to view Earth during their journey to space. The capsule is named for Alan Shepard, the first American astronaut to travel to space. The National Air

aeronautical museum, aerospace advancement, aerospace culture, aerospace education center, aerospace engineering, aerospace exploration, aerospace history museum, aerospace innovation, aerospace legacy, aerospace museum, aerospace research, air travel history, aircraft collection, aircraft display, american space program, aviation achievements, aviation collection, aviation education center, aviation history museum, district of columbia, flight history, flight memorabilia, flight simulator, flight technology, gemini capsule, interactive displays, lunar module, national air and space museum, national air and space museum washington dc, national mall museums, neil armstrong, smithsonian air and space museum, smithsonian museums, smithsonian national air and space museum, smithsonian national museum of air and space, soviet space program, space achievement, space artifacts, space discovery, space education, space education center, space exploration exhibits, space heritage, space history museum, space legacy, space shuttle, space travel history, spacecraft displays, spirit of st louis, washington d.c,