Jun 16, 2022
NASA’s Ingenuity Mars Helicopter has been sending spectacular aerial photographs of the Martian surface back to Earth. A recent set of those photos—taken at the request of NASA engineers—surveyed both the parachute that helped the agency’s Perseverance rover land on Mars and the cone-shape backshell that protected the rover in deep space and during its fiery descent toward the Martian surface on February 18, 2021. The images provide details that could potentially help engineers ensure safer landings for future spacecraft such as the Mars Sample Return Lander, which is part of a multimission campaign that would bring Perseverance’s samples of Martian rocks, atmosphere, and sediment back to Earth for detailed analysis.
Boeing’s Starliner capsule successfully finished a six-day, uncrewed mission when it landed at White Sands Space Harbor in New Mexico on May 25, 2022. While in orbit, the spacecraft demonstrated its capabilities to ferry astronauts into space by docking with the International Space Station. NASA and Boeing hope to perform a crewed test mission by the end of the year.
Learn about space on the National Mall
A ticket to fly into space might be beyond your price range, but it won’t cost you a dime to explore the cosmos this summer at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. Educators from the National Air and Space Museum are bringing an array of telescopes for the event, “Tour of the Universe,” on July 20, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Activity stations located outside participating Smithsonian museums around the National Mall will give visitors an opportunity to discover interesting details about the sun, black holes, exoplanets, and more. “Tour of the Universe” is the first program offered by the Museum’s new Bezos Learning Center, which will coordinate STEAM-related (science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics) programming across the Institution.
Military aircraft on display
A capabilities demonstration was held at Misawa Air Base, Japan, on May 13, 2022. Among the aircraft (some pictured and others not) were 16 U.S. Air Force F-16CMs, 12 Japan Air Self-Defense Force F-35A Lightning II Joint Strike Fighters, two JASDF E-2C Hawkeyes, one JASDF CH-47 Chinook, one U.S. Navy EA-18G Growler, one USN C-12 Huron, and one USN P-8 Poseidon.
We rely on the generous support of donors, sponsors, members, and other benefactors to share the history and impact of aviation and spaceflight, educate the public, and inspire future generations. With your help, we can continue to preserve and safeguard the world’s most comprehensive collection of artifacts representing the great achievements of flight and space exploration.
We rely on the generous support of donors, sponsors, members, and other benefactors to share the history and impact of aviation and spaceflight, educate the public, and inspire future generations. With your help, we can continue to preserve and safeguard the world’s most comprehensive collection of artifacts representing the great achievements of flight and space exploration.
