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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.

Cathleen S. Lewis, a curator in the space history department at the National Air and Space Museum, has written Cosmonaut: A Cultural History, which documents the complicated past of Soviet and Russian human space exploration. 

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."

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.