All Stories

The National Championship Air Races ends it run in Reno, NV.

The Museum has acquired from JPL the prototype Ingenuity helicopter that achieved the first successful free flight under simulated Martian conditions. A series of prototypes, engineering, and flight models to learn and better understand design challenges and work through solutions was required before flight on another planet could be possible.

In a lot of political and financial circles space exploration is often talked about in terms of human space exploration VERSUS robotic space travel. But most scientists and engineers who work on space missions think this question is better answered with a "yes, and."

In the early 20th century, airships were seen as the ideal air transportation for carrying freight and most notably, passengers, around the world. Garland Fulton was an early advocate of lighter-than-air vehicles (LTA) for the United States Navy. During his life he studied and collected articles on airships.

Curtiss aircraft sales representative and flight instructor Lawrence Leon won hearts, minds, and aircraft orders in interwar Argentina through the power of his personality and excellence as a pilot.

Before Patrick Leonini was a museum specialist for the National Air and Space Museum in the Photography department, he spent 24 years in the United States Air Force. He reflects on his career experiences in the military as an airfield manager, working in and around aircraft, crews, and ground support personnel.

It's a very special day, parade day of course! The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade has been a holiday staple for almost 100 years, and the balloons have been a part of it for nearly as long.

Frank Borman was one of the great explorers of the 20th century. As commander of Apollo 8, he was one of the first three humans to leave low Earth orbit, travel into deep space, and orbit the Moon. Yet exploring space was not his dream. An Air Force officer, patriot, and ardent Cold Warrior, he wanted to beat the Soviet Union in the Moon race and played a central role in making that happen. 

Space is dangerous. And as long as we've been sending people into space, we've also been thinking about what we can do to make sure they're prepared for it, and make sure they will come home again.

In February 2019, the National Air and Space Museum launched the Military Women Aviators Oral History Initiative (MWAOHI) to record histories of some of the groundbreaking women who led incremental change in the military that resulted in women becoming fully vested (combat) military pilots.