The James Webb Space Telescope and the Parker Solar Probe Changed How We See the Universe. Now, Their Models Have Found a Home at the Smithsonian

The National Air and Space Museum’s Virginia location now displays the objects which represent critical leaps forward in technology and exploration by NASA

Michelle Mehrtens | Arts and Culture Correspondent

April 10, 2026

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Imagine an enormous telescope with a sun shield the size of a tennis court that sends back proof of a lemon-shaped exoplanet raining diamonds. Then, picture a flying object that can hurtle toward the sun at 430,000 miles per hour and transmit news of Venus’ long plasma tail.

In March, the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum acquired elements of both instruments for its collection: the James Webb Space Telescope’s Pathfinder and the Parker Solar Probe model. The two artifacts are now on view at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Virginia.

“We send stuff into space that never comes back, so the things we end up collecting are usually a story of their development,” explains Samantha Thompson, space history curator at the museum.

As associate administrator of NASA’s Science Mission Directorate Nicky Fox puts it in a statement, “It’s not just the iconic hardware from these NASA missions on display—it’s the courage, skill and ingenuity of the scientists, engineers and teams who dared to turn the nearly impossible into reality.”

On December 25, 2021, Webb launched from Earth and journeyed a million miles into space. Scientists at NASA are relying on Webb, the biggest and most powerful telescope ever sent to space, to expand research introduced by the Hubble Space Telescope, which has orbited Earth for more than 35 years and is still in operation. Webb’s goals are ambitious: unraveling the mysteries of the universe and its formation and identifying other planets that may support life.

“We’re getting a lot better understanding of the evolution of galaxies,” says Thompson. “Infrared light also helps let astronomers peer through dust and clouds that can appear in galaxies and nebulas, and you can see stars being born inside of them.”

In summer 2022, NASA released the first full-color image from the telescope, dazzling in detail. It was the sharpest, clearest infrared photo of the early universe. Known as Webb’s First Deep Field, it depicts a cluster of thousands of galaxies. Since then, the telescope has produced images of nebulas, Saturn’s rings and light from an exploded star.

The Pathfinder is a full-scale engineering model of the telescope used for testing. Researchers engaged in trial-and-error experimentation on the Pathfinder, assessing how well it handled extreme temperatures and other types of physical shock. With these checks, they could confirm whether Webb would be able to withstand launch and maintain alignment while in orbit. The test model underwent review at multiple sites across the country, including NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston and Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland.

Thompson notes that the Pathfinder was “a real need” for a telescope like Webb, which will watch over the farthest reaches of the universe. “We had to make sure once it was out there, it worked perfectly.”

Although the telescope is still relatively early in its mission, the museum acquired the Pathfinder now because of its “technological marvels,” according to Thompson. Scientists developed new technology to make it work, such as the honeycomb structure of its mirrors. The mirrors are made of beryllium—a first-of-its-kind design. Webb is also relatively flat, smooth and light, an impressive feat for its size.

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Another technological advancement, the Parker Solar Probe model is a full-scale replica of the spacecraft built to “touch the sun,” as NASA describes. The launched probe—which took off in 2018 and remains on active mission—was made to fly closer to the sun than any other spacecraft. The probe made its 27th close approach to the sun last month, measuring solar wind, the cascade of electrically charged particles that are blasted into space from the sun’s outer atmosphere, known as the corona.

The model the museum acquired is primarily composed of spare parts, the leftover components that could have been used on the active instrument. “My favorite piece is the big solar shield,” shares Thompson. Traveling through the solar corona means the probe must endure tremendous heat—the corona itself can reach up to 2 million degrees Fahrenheit. According to Thompson, the solar shield hides the rest of the spacecraft from the sun’s heat and helps keep it at about 85 degrees Fahrenheit.

Both the Pathfinder and Parker Solar Probe model are striking examples of how much deep space research has evolved. They are also touchstones for how far it will continue to expand.

“I like having them right next to each other,” says Thompson. “Because these are the different extremes of what space exploration can look like.”

Michelle Mehrtens | Read More

Michelle Mehrtens is the manager of programming for Smithsonian Enterprises, where she oversees the production of original digital series for Smithsonian magazine.