San Diego Air & Space Museum in downtown San Diego's Balboa Park holds Smithsonian Institution affiliate status and California's official designation as the state Air and Space Museum and Education Center, housing its collection inside the 1935 Ford Building on Pan American Plaza. The permanent galleries display the actual Apollo 9 Command Module, a flight-worthy Spirit of Saint Louis replica, and the only operational GPS satellite on public exhibit anywhere in the world, anchoring a Balboa Park cultural corridor that includes The Old Globe theater. Interactive experiences include MaxFlight simulators, a 3D/4D theater, and the Kid's Aviation Action Hangar, while the International Air & Space Hall of Fame lines the main corridor with portraits of pioneers from the Wright Brothers through the Apollo astronauts. The museum's archive ranks among the three largest aviation library collections in the nation, and rotating exhibitions — from Leonardo da Vinci's flying machines to World War I replica cockpits — complement the permanent aircraft suspended from the rotunda ceiling alongside displays at neighboring Mingei International Museum. Private event rentals convert the pavilion floor into a seated dinner or standing reception beneath full-scale aircraft, with volunteer docents available to narrate exhibit tours during corporate galas and fundraiser buyouts.