For Greene County News

FAIRBORN — The National Museum of the US Air Force’s Missile and Space Gallery will re-open on July 3 after being closed for nearly seven months for construction linking the gallery to the museum’s new fourth building.

According to Museum Director Lt. Gen. (Ret.) Jack Hudson, the re-opening of the Missile and Space Gallery during the busy summer travel season has been highly anticipated.

“We know that many of our visitors have been eagerly awaiting the re-opening of the Missile and Space Gallery, and we are extremely pleased to be able to re-open it and provide access to the Cold War Gallery overlook once again,” Hudson said.

The 224,000-square-foot building, which is scheduled to open to the public in the spring of 2016, will house four new galleries – Presidential, Research and Development, Space and Global Reach – along with three STEM Learning Nodes.

The museum also recently announced that the Space Shuttle Exhibit and current STEM Learning Node will close beginning August 3 in preparation for their move to the fourth building.

In addition, the C-141 Hanoi Taxi, in the Air Park, and Long-EZ, X-5 and X-15, in the R&D Gallery, are scheduled to be moved to the museum’s restoration area in late June for refurbishment prior to their move to the fourth building.

“This is an exciting time at the museum as we move forward toward completion of our new fourth building and the grand opening in spring 2016,” Hudson said.

As exhibits are prepared for final placement and others are transitioned for display in the fourth building, occasional intermittent closures of the gallery may still occur. Visitors are encouraged to check the museum’s website for the latest updates.