All Stories

Born in Weatherford, Oklahoma, to a dentist and a former schoolteacher on September 17, 1930, Lt. Gen. Thomas Stafford (USAF) grew up under the first transcontinental airline route. As a child, he would watch silver DC-3s streak across the sky and think “I want to do that.”

The Museum’s Explainers—a cohort of high school and college student interpreters—are working together to create an original set of “trading cards” featuring images of the 1929 Women’s Air Derby contestants and details about their participation. The Explainers hope to inspire genuine, lasting personal connections with the rich, but often unsung, history of women’s active participation in aviation and space.

Something was different about the class of astronaut candidates introduced in January 1990. Eighteen men and five women emerged from almost 2,500 applicants as Astronaut Group 13; seven were pilots and 16 were mission specialists. That was not unusual. The difference was that three of the women were military officers.

The Museum's Preservation and Restoration Unit recently prepared the P-51D Mustang for display in the new and upcoming Jay I. Kislak World War II in the Air gallery. The Mustang needed to suspended dynamically from the ceiling as if it were in flight.

Every year, a valley in New Mexico becomes the launching ground for the largest hot air balloon event in the world. 

What’s new in aviation and space. The latest on the search for Amelia Earhart’s Lockheed 10-E Electra. 

Where to see rare and even one-of-a-kind World War II airplanes. Many are closer than you think.

In World War II, military aviation came of age—leaving us with aeronautical masterpieces from both sides of the conflict.

The Ingenuity prototype will join other robotic explorers on display at the National Air and Space Museum.

Our curators talk about their favorite artifacts. The SR-71’s undeniable wow factor.