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Unusual careers in the aviation and space with behind-the-scenes jobs at the National Air and Space Museum.

Pamela Melroy, a retired U.S. Air Force colonel, is now NASA’s deputy administrator. During her career as an Air Force pilot, Melroy logged more than 6,000 flight hours, serving in both Operation Desert Shield and Desert Storm. After NASA selected her as an astronaut candidate in 1994, she would be assigned to three space shuttle missions, and she is one of only two women to ever command a space shuttle. Melroy recently spoke about her long career in aerospace with Jennifer Levasseur, a curator in the National Air and Space Museum’s department of space history.

Highlighting artifacts in storage. Grumman TBF-1 Avenger in Building 22 at Smithsonian Air and at Space Museum’s Paul E. Garber Facility in Hillcrest Heights, Maryland.

An interview with Chris Reddersen, a restoration specialist at the National Air and Space Museum’s Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Virginia.

Maj. Robert C. “Bob” Mikesh, United States Air Force (ret.), died in February 2022, less than two weeks short of his 94th birthday. Bob was a combat pilot, Smithsonian curator, accomplished author, and a builder of museum-quality aircraft models.

The destruction of the An-225 is a loss to history—but a single airplane, no matter how important or impressive, seems trivial in the face of the threats Ukraine is facing and the losses its citizens are bearing. Acting director Chris Browne reflects on what this iconic aircraft meant to the Ukrainian people—and what it showed the world about their spirit and resolve.

Meet Wally Funk and The Mars Ingenuity Team, the recipients of the Michael Collins Trophy. Soar to new heights with an air taxi eVTOL prototype and test a supersonic aircraft.

While our Museum archivists were in the process of updating the NASM Technical Reference Files, they noticed that some women were missing names, often identified by their husband's names. This blog explores how the full names of these women were restored, and re-visits their lives and careers.

In science fiction, the possibilities are seemingly endless. Authors can literally rewrite a world in terms of gender, sexuality, and culture, making something that is more inclusive and often more interesting. We talk to bookseller Hannah Oliver Depp of Loyalty Books about the history of queer worldbuilding in sci-fi literature.

What's it like being the curator for one of the most iconic artifacts in the country? Reflecting on her January 2022 visit inside Space Shuttle Discovery, Jennifer Levasseur writes about her first visit as its curator, and the personal connection she shares with the Shuttle.