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 691 - 700 of 1735

July 11, 2019 Ground Control to Major Tom: The Apollo Playlist Part 1 Story | Apollo 50

On July 11, 1969 – only 5 days before Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins, and Buzz Aldrin set out on their journey to the Moon – a relatively unknown British musician named David Bowie released a single titled Space Oddity.

Read more
July 10, 2019 Dog-Eared on the Moon? Story | Apollo 50

When early astronauts traveled into space, and in this case, the Moon, lives depended on communications equipment that kept them in contact at all times with those stationed on Earth, like this "Snoopy Cap" communications carrier.

Read more
July 09, 2019 Support at Predawn: The NASA Art Program and James Dean Story | Apollo 50

The NASA Art Program played an important role in representing the excitement and public interest in early spaceflight missions like Apollo 11. As we look back at key moments from the historic missions, we do so not only through photographs and oral histories, but through the eyes of artists as well. 

Read more
July 08, 2019 How We Saw Armstrong’s First Steps Story | Apollo 50

As we approach the 50th anniversary of humankind’s first steps on the Moon, our ability to reflect on those events is thanks in part to how the moment was shared with people around the world. The Apollo 11 mission was not the first time television signals returned from the orbit of the Moon, but the landing in July 1969 was by far the most important to get just right.

Read more
July 05, 2019 Inspired by Apollo: How a TV Broadcast Led Me (Almost) to Space Story | Apollo 50

"When I was a kid – maybe 5 or 6 – I remember my dad calling me into the living room and sitting me down in front of our almost comically tiny black-and-white TV screen."

Read more
July 04, 2019 Star-Spangled Artifacts Story | Air and Space Photos

In honor of Fourth of July, we explore artifacts in our collection with American flags.

Read more
July 03, 2019 Bob Gilruth: Architect of Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo Story | Apollo 50

Bob Gilruth, more than anyone else, created the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo programs and the Houston center that managed them.

Read more
July 02, 2019 Buzz Aldrin’s Doctoral Thesis Story | Apollo 50

Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin was the first astronaut to receive a degree of Doctor of Science (Sc.D). We explore his thesis on “Line-of-Sight Guidance Techniques for Manned Orbital Rendezvous.”

Read more
July 01, 2019 Abe Silverstein and the Race to the Moon Story | Apollo 50

Abraham Silverstein (1908-2001), created and named the Apollo program and, most critically, pushed the adoption of liquid hydrogen as a rocket fuel for the boosters that launched Apollo. 

Read more
June 28, 2019 "Passenger Number One" on Pan American's First Transatlantic Flight Story | From the Archives

In 2019, we commemorate several transatlantic firsts, including the 100th anniversaries of the first transatlantic flight by the Navy NC-4 in May and the first nonstop transatlantic flight by John Alcock and Arthur Brown. June 28 marks the 80th anniversary of the inaugural Pan American Airways transatlantic passenger flight in 1939. For William John Eck, it was a voyage for which he had waited eight long years. Finally, he was “Passenger Number One”!

Read more