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 1767

Purple and pink logo of AirSpace

May 08, 2025

Space Jamz: The Making and Legacy of the Voyager Golden Record

Story | AirSpace Podcast

If you were curating a mixtape that might be heard by aliens billions of years from now, but definitely would be seen by your fellow Earthlings, what would you put on it? Learn about the Voyager Golden Record on the latest AirSpace.

A pilot in vintage flight gear, including goggles, sitting in the cockpit of an old aircraft.

April 30, 2025

Lost Before Combat: My Uncle Was Among Thousands Who Perished Training for WWII

Story

Not far away is the wreckage of his U.S. Navy Grumman F4F Wildcat fighter, near the barrier islands known as the Outer Banks, my uncle Roy Len Lee’s remains lie at the bottom of the sea. He was one of thousands of Americans who left their families to fight for their country and perished in training.

The words "AirSpace, a podcast" appear in bold pink and white letters against a purple background.

April 24, 2025

Bats!

Story | AirSpace Podcast

Scientists and engineers are trying to use what they do know to create bat-inspired flying machines, but traits like bats' self-cambering stretchy wing skin, skeletal muscles and tiny hair sensors are proving difficult to replicate. 

Close up of a crater in a desert

April 22, 2025

Where Are All the Impact Craters on Earth?

Story

The Moon is pockmarked with impact craters. Everywhere you look, you can see a crater. On Earth, however, impact craters are few and far between, with barely any visible. Why do we see so many craters on the Moon but so few on Earth?

View from bottom of Ad Astra installation looking up

April 11, 2025

Conserving Ad Astra

Story | Inside the Conservation Lab

During ongoing renovations to reimagine the Museum's galleries and entryways, the large sculpture Ad Astra was deinstalled and treated by the conservation team. After careful documentation and treatment, the sculpture was reinstalled in front of the new awning at the north entrance on the National Mall.

The words "AirSpace, a podcast" appear in bold pink and white letters against a purple background.

April 10, 2025

Super Scoopers

Story | AirSpace Podcast

There are a lot of different aircraft that fight wildfires, but today we're taking about a truly unique, purpose-built firefighting airplane: the Super Scooper. This plane skims the surface of a body of water, collects a shocking amount through tiny scoop ports, flies off, and dumps it on a wildfire. We talk to a pilot about what it's like to fly one.

A person is engaged in assembling a kite structure inside a room, focusing intently on adjusting a component of the structure.

April 04, 2025

Conserving Historic Aviation Models

Story | Inside the Conservation Lab

Over the years the Museum's Conservation Unit has received grant funding from the National Collections Program to help care for our most vulnerable artifacts. These projects showcase the artistry and engineering innovations of early aviation while addressing unique treatment challenges posed by fragile materials and past repairs.

Hermann Oberth and German Rocket Societies

April 03, 2025

Early Rocket Societies

Story

Beginning in the late 1920s, spaceflight enthusiasts banded together into groups to advance their cause. Known as “rocket societies,” these groups of enthusiasts especially flourished in the Soviet Union, Germany, and the United States. 

The words "AirSpace, a podcast" appear in bold pink and white letters against a purple background.

March 27, 2025

Space Race: The Prequel (Part Two)

Story | AirSpace Podcast

We pick up where Part One left off! When you hear 'space race' you probably (correctly) think about the 1960s Soviet Union v. U.S. race to put an astronaut on the Moon. But a few hundred years before, the space race was all about Venus. 

Opened wooden chest commissioned to hold the trophies, plaques, and memorabilia belonging to Amelia Earhart. The chest features motifs highlighting three of Earhart's milestone flights.

March 21, 2025

Amelia Earhart’s Trophy Chest: An Art Deco Tribute to Her Legacy

Story | Inside the Conservation Lab

In preparation for its new display in the Barron Hilton Pioneers of Flight gallery, Amelia Earhart's chest came to the Emil Buehler Conservation Laboratory at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center for assessment and treatment.