All Stories

Museum curator Samantha Thompson explores the cool science that goes along with the fun fiction in the 2022 film Lightyear.

Learn about the integral role speed played during the Cold War.

Speed on the ground and in the air may have more connections than you think.

Learn about Glen Curtiss—who was at one time known as the fastest man on Earth.

What Kenneth Arnold saw while flying past Mt. Rainier on June 24, 1947, remains a mystery. He spent the rest of his life trying to explain it and inadvertently added the words “flying saucer” to the vocabularies of millions of people around the world. Learn about the story behind it.

Kitty Hawk, NC—where the Wrights made their world changing flights. 

A decade ago it was pretty rare to see an all-electric car on the road. Now that you see them all. the. time. we wondered – what about electric vehicles in the *sky*? Several companies are working to overcome the challenges of all-electric flight, and it’ll likely be a long time before your commercial plane goes electric. But smaller, shorter-distance applications of all-electric air transport might be just around the corner. In this episode, we speak to Dr. Martine Rothblatt to learn how her company is working towards using electric helicopters to deliver the ultimate precious cargo -- transplantable human organs.

German forces pushing into the Soviet Union felt nearly invincible—until they met the Ilyushin Il-2 Shturmovik.

Astronauts headed to Mars and beyond won’t be able to depend on Earth for a quick response in the event of a medical emergency.

Orville and Wilbur Wright weren't always pioneering aeronautical engineers.