All Smithsonian museums, including our locations in D.C. and Virginia, are closed Sunday, Jan. 25, and Monday, Jan. 26 due to winter weather.
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 131 - 140 of 338
April 11, 2019
On this episode of AirSpace we’re talking about the most exclusive form of public transportation – presidential flight.
March 22, 2019
In this guest blog post, Chesley Bonestell expert Melvin Schuetz reflects on the Bonestell artwork "A Fog-Filled Canal on Mars."
December 25, 2018
In 1917, the United States Army Air Service established an aviation engineering section at McCook Field in Dayton, Ohio. In 1927, the Engineering Division, as it was then known, moved to nearby Wilbur Wright Field and there remained as the Air Force Material Division (AFMD) and Air Material Command (AMC). Throughout the years, those stationed at Wright Field celebrated the holidays.
November 21, 2018
John F. Kennedy's assassination on November 22 and his funeral on November 25 occurred at a moment in which "live via satellite" was beginning to enter the Cold War world. Satellites broadcast information about his death around the world in a way never possible before.
November 08, 2018
2 Space Shuttles + 1 asteroid the size of Texas + a dash of 90s rock = the most terribly wonderful space movie of all time? Well, maybe for Emily, Matt, and Nick. This fall has got us hooked on space movies. So, Emily, Matt, and Nick decided to rewatch the 1998 film Armageddon to see how many inaccuracies they could find.
October 12, 2018
First Man is almost certainly is the most accurate fictional depiction of human spaceflight in the 1960s ever made. A curator weighs in on what the film got right and wrong.
September 11, 2018
It’s the ship that would boldly go on to make history—the Star Trek starship Enterprise studio model, used in the filming of the iconic television show, which premiered on NBC in September of 1966. Take a closer look at the makings of the starship Enterprise.
September 06, 2018
It’s become one of the most well-known appendages in pop culture history—Spock’s pointed ears, signaling him as half-Vulcan, and now synonymous with the beloved sci-fi series. The Museum’s conservation team recently treated a replica ear in our collection.
August 27, 2018
The prototype for the popular Women of NASA LEGO® set joined the Museum’s collection last week, helping tell the story of how Americans are inspired by groundbreakers in aerospace.
August 03, 2018
Bilbo Baggins journeyed many places in Middle-Earth, but it turns out his quest extends to other planets, too.