Stories of daring, stories of technological feats, stories of prevailing against the odds ... these are the stories we tell at the National Air and Space Museum. Dive in to the stories below to discover, learn, and be inspired. 

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September 20, 2023 These Depictions of Celestial Wonders Helped Make Astronomy Mainstream Story | Air & Space Quarterly

Before we had access to stunning photos of our galaxy from ground- and space-based telescopes, visionaries like  Étienne Trouvelot's captured celestial magic through their art 

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September 20, 2023 What Chuck Yeager's Medals and Ribbons Tell Us About His Career Story | Air & Space Quarterly

A ribbon bar in the Museum's collection offers a timeline of the famed aviator’s illustrious military career 

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September 20, 2023 This Object Represents a New Approach to Moon Exploration Story | Air & Space Quarterly

The Peregrine test model is the first commercial lander in the Museum's collection 

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September 20, 2023 First-Responder Rescue Truck From 9/11 Goes on Display at the National Air and Space Museum Story | Air & Space Quarterly

Foam 331's new display at the Museum's Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center honors first responders 

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September 19, 2023 Restoring the Museum’s V-2 Missile Story

One of the icons of the Museum was the black-and-white German V-2 ballistic missile. Ever since the building opened in July 1976, it stood in Space Hall, which in 1997 was revised to become Space Race. That rocket will return in a new guise, with green camouflage paint, when the hall reopens in a few years as RTX Living in the Space Age.

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September 14, 2023 Space Boots and Cowboy Boots: Astronaut Danny Olivas Story

John D. “Danny” Olivas grew up in the border city of El Paso, Texas, across the Rio Grande from Mexico. Its population is now 81% Hispanic, the largest Hispanic population of any major city within the United States. Olivas and his extended family have been part of that vibrant community since his great-grandfather migrated from Mexico in 1894.

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September 13, 2023 AirSpace Revisited: It's a Barbie World and We're All Living in It Story | AirSpace Podcast

We’re extending our Hot Barbie Summer by looking back on this gem from season seven.

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September 11, 2023 Foam 331—First Responder to the Nation’s Worst Aviation Crisis Story

Foam 331—one of two Oshkosh T-3000 foam-carrying rescue trucks arrived at the Pentagon shorty after American Airlines Flight 77 had impacted the site on September 11, 2001. The efforts of Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority firefighters and their foam trucks in conjunction with the other responding jurisdictions succeeded in suppressing the fire, limiting further loss of life and damage. Foam 331 is now on display at the Udvar-Hazy Center.

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September 08, 2023 Exploring the Universe in our Collections Story

Instruments in the Smithsonian collection trace the story of how humans have explored the universe for thousands of years. Join us in taking a look at just a few examples! 

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August 30, 2023 Guy Bluford: First African American in Space Story

Dr. Guy Bluford launched on the STS-8 mission on August 30, 1983, becoming the first Black American in space. Bluford served as a mission specialist and his jobs were to deploy an Indian communications-weather satellite, perform biomedical experiments, and test the orbiter’s 50-foot robotic arm.

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