Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum

Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum

Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum

Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum

Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum

Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum

Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum

Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum

Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum

Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum

Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum

Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum

Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum

2016 is a big year for Star Trek fans—it's the 50th anniversary of the debut of the series! To mark the occasion, there will be a new film (Star Trek Beyond) and likely initial glimpses of the forthcoming new television series. But the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum is doing its part, too.

The organization is currently carrying out important restoration work on the original Enterprise model, the one that was used in the filming of all 79 episodes of the original series. The model was donated to the Smithsonian in 1974, but it was taken out of public display in September 2015 since it was in dire need of conservation.

"We're working to both stabilize it and bring it to an appearance as people saw it in the show," Nicholas Partridge, a Smithsonian spokesman, told Ars.

The restoration is specifically aiming to restore the model to look as it did during the filming of the episode The Trouble with Tribbles, aka the "last known modification of the ship during the production of Star Trek." By Summer 2016, the Enterprise is scheduled to move to the Boeing Milestones of Flight Hall.

The Smithsonian was kind enough to share images of the work in progress (below). But if you happen to be in DC this weekend, visitors to the annual Open House at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center on Saturday, January 30 can see the model restoration up close.

Listing image by Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum