All Stories

It took a certain amount of pure grit to be a pilot in the early days of aviation – and even more for the women who had to defy convention just to get up in the air.

On October 15, 1910, Kiddo the cat became the first of his kind to attempt to cross the Atlantic Ocean by airship—and he wasn’t very happy about it.

Seventy-five years ago, on August 5, 1943, a remarkable group of women stepped into roles as part of the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP). Their story is one of courage, and their legacy is crucial to understanding the role of women as aviators within the United States Military.

Bilbo Baggins journeyed many places in Middle-Earth, but it turns out his quest extends to other planets, too.

During the conservation of the Museum's Ranger 7 spacecraft, our conservator and space history curator uncovered some unexpected details about the object. 

In 1858, French photographer Gaspar Félix Tournachon took a photo of a village from his hot air balloon--the first aerial photograph. Since then, aerial photography has changed how we see the world around us. 

Featured in the new film Mission: Impossible — Fallout, the HALO jump is a real—and dangerous—military maneuver that’s been used by special forces teams for decades.

For the past eight years, aerobatic aviator Sean D. Tucker has performed daring tricks in his Oracle Challenger III. Now, it’ll become part of the National Air and Space Museum collection.

NASA launched TESS, the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite, on April 18, 2018, continuing our search for planets outside of our solar system (aka exoplanets). 

Shaq does shark week. Ronda Rousey against a bull shark. Bear Grylls faces off with … yes … a shark. Shark Week is full of celebrities having close encounters with one of the ocean’s greatest predators, but did you know early astronauts were also prepared for their own tussle with the fearsome fish?