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    • In a military context a missile is a rocket-propelled, guided weapon.
    Aviation
  • Aviation
  • Aircraft
  • Balloons
  • Airships
  • Ultralights
  • Helicopters
  • Vertical flight
  • General aviation
  • Commercial aviation
  • Sports aviation
  • Military aviation
  • Early flight
  • Interwar aviation
    • Spaceflight
  • Spaceflight
  • Spacecraft
  • Human spaceflight
  • Mercury program
  • Gemini program
  • Apollo program
  • Space stations
  • Space Shuttle program
  • Commercial spaceflight
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  • Artemis program
    • Astronomy
  • Astronomy
  • Telescopes
  • Stars
  • Sun
  • Solar System
  • Moon (Earth)
  • Small solar system bodies
  • Dwarf planets
  • Exoplanets
    • Behind the scenes
  • Behind the scenes
    • People
  • People
  • African American or Black people
  • Asian American or Asian people
  • Latino people
  • LGBTQ+ people
  • Native American or Indigenous peoples
  • Pacific Islander people
  • People with disabilities
  • Women
    • Records and Firsts
  • Records and Firsts
    • Science
  • Science
  • Life sciences
  • Physical science
    • Society and Culture
  • Society and Culture
  • Art
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    • Technology and Engineering
  • Technology and Engineering
  • Navigation
  • Reconnaissance
  • Satellites
  • Robotics
  • Drones
  • Rockets
  • Missiles
    • War and Conflict
  • War and Conflict
  • Weapons
  • World War I
  • World War II
  • Cold War
  • Korean War
  • Vietnam War
  • Gulf War
  • Iraq War
  • Afghanistan War

    • In a military context a missile is a rocket-propelled, guided weapon.
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    • Stories See all Stories
    The Cuban Missile Crisis October 27, 2023 Restoring the Museum’s V-2 Missile September 19, 2023 The Military Rockets that Launched the Space Age August 09, 2023 Project Paperclip and American Rocketry after World War II March 31, 2023 Speed and the Cold War July 07, 2022
    Exhibitions See all Exhibitions
    Learn more Modern Military Aviation National Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC Learn more Destination Moon National Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC
    Learning Resources See all Learning Resources
    Three Types of Engines Learn how piston engines, jet engines, and rocket engines all depend on the same basic principles to produce thrust. http://howthingsfly.si.edu/propulsion/engines Grade 3, Grade 4, Grade 5, Grade 6, Grade 7, Grade 8 Aircraft, Missiles, Rockets, Technology and Engineering

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         Thrust: Rocket Engines Explore how rocket engines generate thrust. http://howthingsfly.si.edu/media/thrust-rocket-engines Grade 3, Grade 4, Grade 5, Grade 6, Grade 7, Grade 8 Rockets, Missiles, Science

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         Smithsonian Science Starter: How to Launch a Rocket This lesson will investigate how rocketry works, and the role of Newton’s Second and Third Laws of Motion in explaining rocket motion. https://s.si.edu/SSSHowLaunchRocket Grade 5, Grade 6, Grade 7, Grade 8 Missiles, Rockets, Science, Spacecraft, Technology and Engineering

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         Smithsonian Science Starter: Learn About Rocket Launches Using Balloons – ISS Science What do balloons have to do with rockets? Find out in this episode of ISS Science with Astronaut Randy Bresnik. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZUfw20GoMQ&t=124s Grade 5, Grade 6, Grade 7, Grade 8 Human spaceflight, Missiles, Rockets, Technology and Engineering, Spaceflight

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    Publications See all Publications
    Learn more The Rocket and the Reich: Peenemünde and the Coming of the Ballistic Missile Era Learn more American Missiles: The Complete Smithsonian Field Guide
    Explore other subtopics Missiles Navigation Reconnaissance Robotics Rockets Satellites Drones