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 71 - 80 of 1759

K-III airplane hangs from the ceiling inside a facility.

August 09, 2024

The Martin K-III Kitten

Story

When the K-III’s designer James Vernon Martin offered the diminutive aircraft to the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum in 1924, he presented it as “the first aeroplane in the entire world to incorporate the retractable chassis.”  The aircraft is a one-of-kind, experimental World War I era single-seat scout biplane.

AirSpace, a podcast, logo

August 08, 2024

AirSpace Season 9, Episode 7: Lasso the Moon

Story | AirSpace Podcast

Over six missions, the Apollo astronauts collected and brought back 842 pounds of Lunar samples. Who decides what rocks go where? And how did the National Cathedral get a rock to put in a stained glass window??

Concorde at the Udvar-Hazy Center

August 07, 2024

What Happened to the Concordes?

Story

These days, it takes seven hours to fly from New York to London, compared to under three hours flying at twice the speed of sound on the Concorde. When I started my internship at the National Air and Space Museum, I was determined to learn why.  

An astronaut holding a camera whiling inside of a command module.

August 05, 2024

The Man Who Brought Home Earth: Stories of Bill Anders

Story

Maj. Gen. William A. Anders was an Air Force pilot and a U.S. Ambassador to Norway. He served his country in various other roles, including as the first chairman of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and founded a museum that celebrates aviation history. But he’s best known as one of three astronauts who flew on the Apollo 8 mission in 1968, during which he captured one of the most iconic and influential photographs in history. 

Full view of a streamlined red and white aircraft suspended from the ceiling. The number 33 is on the tail and the code NIIOOZ is on the side.

July 31, 2024

Soaring Into History: Al Parker’s Record-Breaking Flight in the Sisu Sailplane

Story

On July 31, 1964, Al Parker flew from Odessa, Texas, to Kimball, Nebraska, in the Sisu sailplane, which is on display at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center. It was the first time anyone had flown a motorless aircraft more than 621 miles nonstop.

Astronaut portrait of Joe Engle.

July 25, 2024

“General Joe”: Remembering Pilot and Astronaut Joe Engle

Story

Maj. Gen. Joe Engle's experiences as a test pilot of both the X-15 aircraft and Space Shuttle orbiters Enterprise, Columbia, and Discovery made him the first person to ever fly two winged vehicles to space, amongst his many noteworthy achievements. The Museum was most honored to host him as the earliest Space Shuttle commander to attend the arrival ceremony of Discovery at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in 2012.

AirSpace, a podcast, logo

July 25, 2024

AirSpace Season 9 Bonus! My Mom the Rocket Scientist

Story | AirSpace Podcast

Our conversation with Jack Black and his brother Neil Siegal about their Mother, Judith Love Cohen was too good just to give you just the taste from the end of our Star Search episode. 

AirSpace, a podcast, logo

July 25, 2024

AirSpace Season 9, Episode 6: Star Search

Story | AirSpace Podcast

There are a lot of air and space celebrities; pilots, astronauts, engineers, etc, etc. But there's another category of celebrities that are famous for other things but also have surprising ties to air or space.

A small monoplane hangs from a hook high in the sky.

July 22, 2024

How An Airship Became a Flying Aircraft Carrier

Story

It was envisioned that an entire squadron of rigid airships could act as a scouting fleet from 15,000 feet in the air, visually covering thousands of square miles each day. If each of those airships were able to launch and retrieve their own scouting airplanes, that range could be increased exponentially, far more than any naval vessel was capable of. They were essentially creating a flying aircraft carrier. 

A man in a suit stands in front of a model of Voyager.

July 19, 2024

Dr. Edward C. Stone's Contributions to Aerospace

Story

Ed Stone’s long and distinguished career in space science connects to many of the planetary exploration objects displayed in the galleries at the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum. That so many of the Museum’s objects have connections to his professional achievements illustrates Stone’s significant legacy in space science and exploration.