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. 

Showing 1 - 10 of 1733

December 20, 2024 A New Look for a New Military Service: General Raymond’s U.S. Space Force Uniform Story

When Gen. John W. “Jay” Raymond reported to the Pentagon for his first day as Chief of Space Operations for the United States Space Force (USSF) in 2019, he began the process of standing up the first new military service in 72 years. Raymond’s responsibilities were multifold, from defining the mission, to staffing the service, to establishing bases and other facilities.

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December 19, 2024 AirSpace Revisited: Smoke from a Distant Fire Story | AirSpace Podcast

In the lead up to Season 10 we're reviving some of our favorite episodes. Today we bring you Matt's favorite.

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December 18, 2024 The P-3 Orion Was Made for Hunting Submarines Story | Air & Space Quarterly

Wherever Soviet submarines went during the Cold War, they were likely being watched by P-3 Orions. 

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December 18, 2024 How Active Volcanoes Can Put Airplanes in Danger Story | Air & Space Quarterly

A global warning system keeps active volcanoes from shutting down commercial aviation.

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December 18, 2024 The Fascinating History of a P-61 Black Widow Story | Air & Space Quarterly

The fully restored P-61 black widow is on display at the National Air and Space Museum’s Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Virginia.

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December 18, 2024 That Time We Bombed a Volcano Story | Air & Space Quarterly

In 1935, a squad of U.S. bombers dropped a total of 20 of the 600-pound bombs on the lava channels in the Mauna Loa volcano in Hawaii.

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December 18, 2024 A Beautiful Restored Biplane Represents a Future That Never Was Story | Air & Space Quarterly

The Curtiss F9C-2 Sparrowhawk was a light 1930s biplane fighter aircraft that was designed to launch from the United States Navy airships USS Akron and Macon.

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December 18, 2024 Our Changing Planet Story | Air & Space Quarterly

The new climate change exhibition focuses on how aerospace innovations are helping us to both understand what is happening and how we can potentially mitigate the causes and effects.

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December 18, 2024 Scientists Strive to Explain the Strange Weather on Other Planets Story | Air & Space Quarterly

Weather phenomena across the solar system are stranger than scientists could have imagined.

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December 18, 2024 One Man's Tale of Courage Flying Fighters in the Dark Story | Air & Space Quarterly

An interview with Paul Hendrickson, the son of a P-61 World War II night-fighter pilot.

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