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 11 - 20 of 1759

Three flasks wrapped with brown felt and twine lie on top of a hand-made wood tray. A pair of human hands wearing white gloves is holding the tray's two handles.

March 20, 2025

A Rocketeer's Simple But Effective Tools

Story | Air & Space Quarterly

Many of Robert H. Goddard's early rockets are part of the National Air and Space Museum’s permanent collection, some of which are on display at the Museum in Washington, D.C., and at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Virginia. 

Photographed against a black background is a robot wearing a silver uniform--with NASA spelled out across the robot's chest.

March 20, 2025

A Robot Could Be an Astronaut's Best Friend

Story | Air & Space Quarterly

This first-generation Robonaut, housed at the National Air and Space Museum,  was designed by the Robot Systems Technology Branch at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in a collaborative effort with DARPA.

Bennu, a 4.5 billion-year-old asteroid, was the target of OSIRIS-REx, which touched down on the asteroid on October 20, 2020, collecting 4.3 ounces of rock and dust and returning them to Earth three years later.

March 20, 2025

An Innovative Spacecraft Makes Contact with an Asteroid

Story | Air & Space Quarterly

An interview with Dante Lauretta, NASA's principal investigator on the OSIRIS-REx mission. In his new book, The Asteroid Hunter, Lauretta recounts the sample-return mission that brought rocks and dust from the asteroid Bennu to back to Earth.

Old vintage aviator's license with a woman's face.

March 12, 2025

Laura Bromwell and the Legacy of Aerial Policewomen

Story

Laura Bromwell’s determined spirit and career as a member of the NYPD Aviation Reserves marked the beginning of women serving as invaluable members of the combined aviation and law enforcement communities. 

AirSpace, a podcast, logo

March 12, 2025

Space Race: The Prequel (Part One)

Story | AirSpace Podcast

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.

Old photograph on a man pointing toward a small barrel on the ground in a field.

February 28, 2025

The Story Behind the Zambian Space Program

Story

Before Zambia’s Independence Day in October 1964, Edward Makuka Nkoloso announced to the press, and all who would listen, the formation of the Zambian Space Program. He promised to beat both the United States and the USSR in sending humans to the Moon and pledged to send trained cats to Mars.

AirSpace, a podcast, logo

February 27, 2025

Crater Dating

Story | AirSpace Podcast

The oldest Earth rocks we have are 4.3 billion years old, and samples we've brought back from the Moon are even older. But what what does that have to do with craters on Mars? 

A person smiling at a booth with a display labeled "ONE OF SIX RCA TV CAMERAS ON RANGER VII", showcasing a camera and other equipment.

February 25, 2025

James E. Martin, the Engineer Who Captured America’s First Images of the Moon’s Surface

Story

James E. Martin, an electronics technician who worked in the RCA Space Center, helped build the Ranger 7 spacecraft’s camera system, which sent back over 4,000 detailed images in less than 17 minutes before crashing into the Moon in 1964.

Detailed view of the cockpit of a vintage aircraft, featuring an array of dials, switches, and controls.

February 13, 2025

Preserving History at Hypersonic Speeds: A Close-Up Look at the North American X-15

Story | Inside the Conservation Lab

Conservators had the rare opportunity to examine the cockpit of the Museum's North American X-15-1, allowing the stabilization of its delicate plastic components. 

AirSpace, a podcast, logo

February 13, 2025

Hypatia Mars

Story | AirSpace Podcast

Right now there are seven women on Mars... kind of.