All Stories

In 1961, President John Kennedy called on the nation to send a man to the Moon. Have you ever wondered why we invested so much time, effort, and national attention in getting there? 

On August 19, 1942, Fairchild Aircraft Division of the Fairchild Engine and Airplane Corporation opened Plant 7, the first unit in the company to employ Black workers, both men and women, as part of their WWII aircraft manufacturing efforts. In late 1944, Plant 5 at Wilson Boulevard and Kuhn Avenue, manufacturing corrugated parts for the Martin PBM Mariner, replaced Plant 7 as the designated plant for Black employees. A rich, yet incomplete, record of their wartime service can be found in the Fairchild Industries, Inc. Collection at the National Air and Space Museum Archives.

There is perhaps no résumé in existence quite as long as Barbie’s. One of her oldest and arguably most iconic careers is as an astronaut. Let's take a look through some of her most iconic space looks, spanning 1965 to today.

The healing power of art.

Marlon D. Green fought and won the right to fly as a pilot for a major U.S. airline.

Cornelius Coffey was an advocate for the education of Black Americans in aeronautics.  

Artists have envisioned stunning possibilities of our futures in space, from living on distant worlds to constructing orbiting fuel depots. many of these paintings, drawings, and even models can be found in the collection of the National Air and Space Museum.

Just over one week until until a brand new season of AirSpace! But today, we’re excited to bring you a special bonus drop from our friends at the National Portrait Gallery’s podcast PORTRAITS.

In the 1930s and '40s aviation-themed radio programs attracted huge audiences.

Read a first-hand account of what it was like to fly aboard a Boeing 247 in 1934.