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. 

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August 23, 2016 Finding the Nuts and Bolts of the "Enterprise" Story

Gary Kerr’s lifelong love affair with Star Trek and the starship Enterprise studio model has lead him down a number of interesting paths. Last year, this fascination lead the “Trek-xpert” on an epic quest to find just the right hardware, the actual nuts and bolts, that make up the Enterprise studio model.

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August 22, 2016 1909: The First Major International Flying Meet Story | This Day in History

On this day in 1909, some of the world's leading aviators met at a racetrack in Reims, France, to compete in the first organized international air meet.

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August 22, 2016 Apollo Gems in the Archives Story | From the Archives

One of the joys of working with an archive is unearthing the unexpected. When an avowed space nerd like me gets the opportunity to spend time in archives as impressive as the Smithsonian, my journey down research road was a bit circuitous. More often than not, I was lured away from my original focus by fascinating finds. Here are a few of my favorites.

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August 19, 2016 Orville Wright Born Today in 1871 Story | This Day in History

Today in 1871, aviator and inventor Orville Wright was born to Milton and Susan Catherine Koerner Wright. Orville was the sixth of seven children born to the Wrights.

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August 17, 2016 Revealing the Colors of the Star Trek Enterprise Story | Conserving "Enterprise"

Want to know what colors are on the 3-meter (11-foot) Star Trek starship Enterprise studio model? Read more to find the colorimeter readings for the colors we uncovered during our sanding tests and other conservation work on the model.

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August 16, 2016 Food & Flight: Harrison Schmitt’s Chili Story

Harrison “Jack” Schmitt was the first and last geologist to visit the Moon. Below is his secret chili recipe, served best with a side of tortilla chips and some space history. We can’t help with the chips, but we can tell you a little about this chili-making astronaut.

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August 13, 2016 Aug. 13, 1911: Second U.S. Woman to Earn Pilot’s License Story | This Day in History

On August 13, 1911, Matilde Moisant became the second woman in the United States to receive her pilot’s license, just a few weeks after her friend Harriet Quimby.

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August 13, 2016 Six Stories from Developing the Lunar Module Story

Many are familiar with images of Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin standing beside the Lunar Module (LM) Eagle during the historic Apollo 11 Moon landing. The story of how the LM was developed and tested is a little less familiar. Here are six highlights from a recent talk. 

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August 12, 2016 The Perseids Light Up the Sky Story

The annual Perseid meteor shower is at its peak (August 11-13). Meteor showers occur when the Earth’s orbit around the Sun takes us through a debris field, which is often a trail of cosmic dust left behind by a comet.

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August 11, 2016 August 11, 1978: Crossing the Atlantic in a Balloon Story | This Day in History

On this day in 1978, Ben Abruzzo, Maxie Anderson, and Larry Newman took off from Presque Isle, Maine in the gas balloon Double Eagle II in an attempt to cross the Atlantic. The successful crossing took 137 hours, 6 minutes and covered 5,021 kilometers (3,120 miles) landing in a wheat field near Miserey, France.

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