All Stories

Before returning Neil Armstrong's Apollo 11 spacesuit to display in time for the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 mission, it underwent extensive conservation and a state-of-the-art display case and mannequin was designed to protect it while on display.

Working with the museum, the Smithsonian's Digitization Program Office 3D scanned Neil Armstrong's spacesuit, helmet, and gloves. The resulting 3D models, which have been fully annotated by the suit’s curator and conservator, are now available.

The Martin B-26B Marauder Flak-Bait, an iconic artifact of World War II is undergoing artifact treatment in the Museum’s Mary Baker Engen Restoration Hangar. In this first in a series of blogs about the conservation of the aircraft, we explore the preservation of the doped fabric on the rudder.

Explore how a flight with the Hurricane Hunters, an experience in a 100 mph wind tunnel, and a trip to film with ABC News Chief Meteorologist Ginger Zee is shaped into an episode of our webcast series, STEM in 30.

Pioneering female pilot Jackie Cochran set eight world speed, altitude, and distance records in our Northrop T-38 Talon. In this blog, we talk to a member of our collections team about the process of moving the aircraft's fuselage from Maryland to Virginia in December 2018.

What is a hybrid rocket motor? What advantages does it have over conventional liquid and solid propellant rocket motors? These questions point to an exciting breakthrough that occurred on December 13, 2018, when Virgin Galactic successfully launched VSS Unity on its first suborbital flight.

Join us in the Mission to Transform the National Air and Space Museum. Together, we will ignite tomorrow.

As we reopen our doors to the public after the recent government shutdown, we are now in the full-swing our own new adventure—reimagining America’s favorite museum for the next generation of aviators, scientists, and astronauts.

As the Museum kicks off its massive project to reimagine Air and Space, many of the objects in our collection will be moved from their current location on the National Mall. The first objects on that list were also some of the most iconic in our collection: Buzz Aldrin’s Apollo 11 and Gene Cernan’s Apollo 17 spacesuits.

After 32 years, the gallery will close on December 3 as the Museum embarks on a years-long project to revitalize our infrastructure and transform our exhibitions. What better time to take a look back at the early days of the exhibit and how it came together?