All Stories

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

Astronomer Phil Plait recently published Under Alien Skies. We caught up with him in this interview.

Pulling back the curtain on artifacts in storage.

The Conservation team at the Museum recently had the opportunity to examine Haydu’s dress uniform to prepare it for display in the upcoming reimagined Jay I. Kislak World War II in the Air gallery. The artifact not only reflects the changing role of women in American society during WWII but also embodies the technological advancements and global impact of the conflict.

Few people in the air and space community touched as many aspects of what we do here at the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum as did Richard H. Truly. His remarkable career in the military, in space, and as a leader blended together an array of experiences, having had the opportunity to impact programs and make decisions, the effects of which linger to this day.

In 1142 a total solar eclipse with much the same path as the one coming up April 8. It was also the sign in the sky the Seneca needed to join the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, a representative democracy that would govern six tribes below Lakes Erie and Ontario.

Read about the process behind the conservation of "Rosie's Drill," a WWII-era artifact owned and used by Helen Nelson Brinkley on the Boeing B-17 aircraft-assembly line. Conservation treatment involved historical research, technical study, scientific analysis, and the sourcing, testing, and application of a specialized consolidant for the crumbling rubber cord.

Large, slow flying boats like the Consolidated PBY Catalina, played vital roles for naval operations, including launching airborne attacks, anti-submarine patrols, delivering supplies, and performing air rescue. Although missions in these roles may not often be remembered, February 2024 marks the 80th anniversary of one of the most extraordinary flights of the PBY Catalina during World War II.

Did you know that it takes the Earth 365-ish days to orbit the sun?

Today we're talking about Afrofuturist space and Afronauts and walking through the Afrofuturism exhibit by our friends at the National Museum of African American History and Culture.