Stories
Topics
Collections
On demand
For researchers

The National Air and Space Museum offers a wealth of resources for researchers of aerospace history and planetary science at all levels, including for those conducting original research.

Two researches look at a computer monitor with colors displayed on it. In the background is a topographical map of a planet and globes of different planets.

Research geologist Emily Martin and postdoctoral researcher Erica Jawin discussing geologic mapping of planetary surfaces at the National Air and Space Museum's Center for Earth and Planetary Studies.

Stories
Topics
Collections
On demand
For researchers

The National Air and Space Museum offers a wealth of resources for researchers of aerospace history and planetary science at all levels, including for those conducting original research.

Two researches look at a computer monitor with colors displayed on it. In the background is a topographical map of a planet and globes of different planets.

Research geologist Emily Martin and postdoctoral researcher Erica Jawin discussing geologic mapping of planetary surfaces at the National Air and Space Museum's Center for Earth and Planetary Studies.

Two people sit at computer terminals, facing the screen working.

Archives

The Archives' collections span the history of flight from ancient times to the present day and include a wide range of visual and textual materials, including documents, photographs, motion picture film and video, and more than two million technical drawings.

Archives
Alan Shepard with Telephone

Reference services

Our staff is ready and willing to answer your questions on aviation and space flight, or to assist with your research project.

Reference services
A row of short squat books with index cards peeking out. The books stand up with the spines facing out. Each spine is colorful and boasts a comic like "Flash Gordon," Buck Rodgers," or "Donald Duck Up in the Air."

Library

A premier aviation and aerospace history collection, the National Air and Space Museum Library supports research by the Museum’s curatorial staff and aviation researchers around the world. 

Visit the Library
A photo of Lauren Gottschlich, Engen Conservation Fellow, inpainting the losses on the lid with watercolor paints.

Fellowships

We offer a variety of fellowships for predoctoral, postdoctoral, and non-academic researchers.

A rover takes a photograph on the orange, dusty martian surface.

Smithsonian Planetary Image Facility

The Center for Earth and Planetary Studies (CEPS) houses a Planetary Image Facility that contains hardcopy images ranging from the Ranger missions in the early 60s through Mars Curiosity mission.

Stars and cloud like formations in space.

Publications

Our staff writes books on various aviation and space-related topics, including our exhibitions, the collection, the history of science and technology, and planetary science.

Two men look at a shiny plate on a piece of spacecraft. 1

Staff Profiles

Discover the people behind the work and research the National Air and Space Museum does. 

An artists rendering of the Perseverance Rover travelling along a valley on Mars.

Research projects

Staff and fellows at the National Air and Space Museum conduct original research in three major areas: Aeronautics, Earth and Planetary Science, and Space History.

Projects
Support the Museum

We rely on the generous support of donors, sponsors, members, and other benefactors to share the history and impact of aviation and spaceflight, educate the public, and inspire future generations.  With your help, we can continue to preserve and safeguard the world’s most comprehensive collection of artifacts representing the great achievements of flight and space exploration.

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