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 1 - 10 of 40
January 09, 2025The Science Never StopsStory
| AirSpace Podcast
Our museum collection, like a lot of other museums' collections, is sometimes a working collection. That means that scientists come to do aviation or space research using objects in the Museum.
Read moreNovember 14, 2024AirSpace Revisited: Journey to the PastStory
| AirSpace Podcast
As we wait for season TEN (!!!) we're looking back on this season six favorite. Every day, satellites orbit Earth taking pictures. These images are used for everything from intelligence to weather prediction and even today’s topic – archaeology.
Read moreJuly 19, 2024Dr. Edward C. Stone's Contributions to AerospaceStory
Ed Stone’s long and distinguished career in space science connects to many of the planetary exploration objects displayed in the galleries at the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum. That so many of the Museum’s objects have connections to his professional achievements illustrates Stone’s significant legacy in space science and exploration.
Read moreMarch 20, 2024Red RoversStory
| Air & Space Quarterly
For twenty years Mars Rovers and Orbiters have worked to unlock the secrets of the Red Planet. This excerpt from curator Matt Shindell's book For The Love of Mars tells the tale.
Read moreMarch 20, 2024The Little Copter That CouldStory
| Air & Space Quarterly
The Ingenuity prototype will join other robotic explorers on display at the National Air and Space Museum.
Read moreDecember 14, 2023Flying the Martian SkiesStory
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.
Read moreDecember 11, 2023AirSpace Season 8, Episode 6: These Are the Droids We’re Working WithStory
| AirSpace Podcast
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."
Read moreFebruary 23, 2023AirSpace Season 7, Ep. 6: Drops From Jupiter Story
| AirSpace Podcast
The Juno spacecraft currently orbiting Jupiter almost didn’t have a camera, and boy would that have been a shame. On this episode of AirSpace, we unpack how JunoCam has contributed to science and completely changed the way we view this beautiful gas giant.
Read moreNovember 18, 2022A Milestone for Curiosity: 10 Years of Exploration in Gale Crater on MarsStory
The Curiosity rover reached a significant milestone on Mars this year. The rover has been exploring the Gale crater for 10 years. Read more on how Curiosity shows no signs of slowing down and the discoveries related to the past potential habitability of the Red Planet.
Read moreJuly 14, 2022Exploring the Red Planet with RobotsStory
Take a look back with us at the landers, rovers, and helicopter that have explored Mars.