NASA’s first MAX POWER aerospace expo and air show closed late this afternoon after a successful two days at Kennedy Space Center. 50,000 visitors were expected, and it certainly seemed that many people were there throughout the event, all under a bright autumn sun. NASA nor Air Dot Show have released official attendance figures as of yet

Organized Quickly

The event was announced in August as part of the agency’s activities recognizing America’s 250th anniversary. It also opened the former Shuttle Landing Facility to the public, a 15,000-foot runway originally built for returning space shuttles.

The weekend was split across three separately ticketed areas. Air Dot Show ran the air show, while UP.Summit hosted aircraft, drones, autonomous vehicles and other transportation technology. The third area paired the visitor complex with behind-the-gates tours of the Vehicle Assembly Building, Apollo Saturn V Center and Gantry.

There were some hiccups, notably transportation between the three events, but organizers had clearly learned their lessons quickly, as it was notably easier the second day. All in all, given the unique environment and the short time to put the massive event together, the teams responsible did a great job and made the show not only entertaining and family-friendly, but also incredibly informative to the general public.

The U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds headlined the flying program, and Isaacman was scheduled to fly an F-5 at 11:58 a.m. and a MiG-29 at 1:31 p.m. on both days. General admission air show tickets sold out for Saturday and Sunday and crowds were out in force.

The weekend’s biggest news came Saturday. NASA announced awards covering commercial robotic deliveries, a nuclear-powered rover named PROMISE, launch and orbital transfer services, and surface infrastructure for a sustained presence at the lunar South Pole. “We are building the Moon Base mission by mission,” Isaacman said.

Aviation got its own headline earlier in the week. NASA unveiled the X-70 Fractal, a crewed experimental aircraft for flight-control and maneuverability research, during the UP.Summit at KSC on Wednesday. The agency expects its first flight under the NASA banner within two years, and the quiet supersonic X-59 was on display through the weekend.

Around Max Power

It was almost impossible to photograph it all, but here are a few shots from around Max Power: