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 21 - 30 of 1767

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.

Official NASA portrait of Jeanette Epps wearing a blue astronaut flight suit.

February 06, 2025

Jeanette Epps, Record-Setting NASA Astronaut

Story

In 2024, Jeanette Epps set the mark as the African American astronaut who has spent the most time in space. 

AirSpace, a podcast, logo

January 23, 2025

From Active Aircraft to Artifact

Story | AirSpace Podcast

All the military aircraft and some of the civilian ones in our collections have to be demilitarized before they go on display or into storage.