Stories of daring, stories of technological feats, stories of prevailing against the odds ... these are the stories we tell at the National Air and Space Museum. Dive in to the stories below to discover, learn, and be inspired. 

Showing 41 - 50 of 51

November 15, 2013 The Soviet Buran Shuttle: One Flight, Long History Story

This month marks the twenty-fifth anniversary of the sole launch of the Soviet space shuttle Buran. The idea of a reusable space plane has existed for decades among space enthusiasts and predated the idea of a rocket carrying humans into Earth orbit.

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October 20, 2012 My Cuban Missile Crisis Story | From the Archives

Growing up in the Washington, D.C. area during the 1960s was... interesting - History would have a way of occasionally butting into an otherwise typical suburban boyhood.

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July 23, 2012 Telstar and the World of 1962 Story

Last week, the Museum recognized the 50th anniversary of Telstar, the first “active” satellite (one that can receive a radio signal from a ground station and then immediately re-transmit it to another) and the first technology of any kind that enabled transatlantic television transmissions.  In 1962, both accomplishments generated intense interest, excitement, and commentary.

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January 27, 2012 What do you Make of the "Houston, we have a problem" Film Claiming that a Secret Yugoslavian Space Program was the Source of American Success in the Space Race? Story

I received a call from Richard Solash, a reporter with Radio Free Europe about ten days ago to discuss a film being made by Slovene director Ziga Virc and writer Bostjan Virc that alleges that Tito's Yugoslavia had a secret space program and secretly sold space knowledge to NASA, in the process making Tito rich and making if possible for the U.S. to achieve its Apollo program.

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September 27, 2011 Telstar and the “Global Village” Story | Under the Radar

On July 10th, 1962 at 11:47 GMT, the world’s first transmission of a television image by satellite took place, using the Telstar satellite. 

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July 26, 2010 Apollo-Soyuz Test Project Story

The Apollo-Soyuz Test Project (ASTP) was the famous “Handshake in Space.” ASTP was the first American-Soviet space flight, docking the last American Apollo spacecraft with the then-Soviet Soyuz spacecraft. This joint effort between the two major world players was based on an agreement signed in 1972, and it set a precedent for future joint efforts, such as the Shuttle-Mir Program and the International Space Station.

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June 11, 2010 10 Cool Things You May Not Know About The Museum's Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird Story

10 Cool Things You May Not Know About The Museum's Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird

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May 23, 2010 Reflections on Post-Cold War Issues for International Space Cooperation Story

In the 1990s the United States collaborative space policy entered an extended period of transition from the earlier era of Cold War, one in which NASA has been compelled to deal with international partners on a much more even footing than ever before.

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April 12, 2010 Why Yuri Gagarin Remains the First Man in Space, Even Though He Did Not Land Inside His Spacecraft Story

Every year as the anniversary of the first human spaceflight approaches, I receive calls inquiring about the validity of Yuri Gagarin’s claim as the first human in space.  The legitimate questions focus on the fact that Gagarin did not land inside his spacecraft. 

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August 10, 2009 The Day I Met a Communist Defector Story | From the Archives

When you are visiting the Udvar-Hazy Center, you will come across a display case that holds the flightsuit of a former MiG pilot named Frank Jarecki. 

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