All Stories

Something was different about the class of astronaut candidates introduced in January 1990. Eighteen men and five women emerged from almost 2,500 applicants as Astronaut Group 13; seven were pilots and 16 were mission specialists. That was not unusual. The difference was that three of the women were military officers.

When it comes to choosing a do-it-yourself project, Adam Savage doesn’t go for the easy stuff—he builds his own spacesuit.

For twenty years Mars Rovers and Orbiters have worked to unlock the secrets of the Red Planet. This excerpt from curator Matt Shindell's book For The Love of Mars tells the tale.

The National Air and Space Museum has some 270 complete pressure-suits in its collection. Their evolution tells the broader story of NASA’s efforts to send humans into space.

The Ingenuity prototype will join other robotic explorers on display at the National Air and Space Museum.

Few people in the air and space community touched as many aspects of what we do here at the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum as did Richard H. Truly. His remarkable career in the military, in space, and as a leader blended together an array of experiences, having had the opportunity to impact programs and make decisions, the effects of which linger to this day.

Frederick Drew Gregory, is the first astronaut born, reared, and educated in the nation’s capital, Washington, DC, which is also home to the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum. He is a veteran of three space shuttle missions and the first African American to pilot and command a mission in space. He is also the first African American to rise to the second-highest NASA leadership position, Deputy Administrator.

MTV used that iconic neon scribbled astronaut as its channel ID for years. And even today the award you get when you win a VMA is a statuette of an Apollo era astronaut, but why is MTV obsessed with the Moonman?

Charles M. Schulz and Walt Disney, the creators of some of the most endearing cartoon characters ever drawn, both found inspiration in the worlds of aviation and space.

What’s new in aviation and space.