Publications
Our staff write books on a wide variety of aviation- and space-related topics, including our exhibitions; the collection; the history of science and technology; and planetary science.
Curators also edit other titles, from the Smithsonian History of Aviation and Spaceflight series to children's books on flight. In addition, Museum curators edit book series with Cambridge University Press (Cambridge Centennial of Flight series), Palgrave Macmillan (Palgrave Studies in the History of Science Technology), Texas A&M University Press (Centennial of Flight series), and the University of Missouri Press (Sports and American Culture).
You can explore more peer-reviewed articles, stories, and more with Smithsonian Research Online.
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On a Mission: The Smithsonian History of US Women Astronauts
The definitive history of all 61 American women astronauts (so far).
X-15: The World's Fastest Rocket Plane and the Pilots Who Ushered in the Space Age
A concise, yet detailed, introduction to the X-15 that is definitive and beautifully illustrated.
The Aviation Careers of Igor Sikorsky
A book by members of the National Air and Space Museum staff.
Gatchina Days: Reminiscences of a Russian Pilot
A publication edited by a member of the National Air and Space Museum staff.
Igor Sikorsky, The Russian Years
A publication translated by a member of the National Air and Space Museum staff.
Only the Wing: Reimar Horten's Epic Quest to Stabilize and Control the All-Wing Aircraft
Smithsonian Institution Scholarly Press with Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
Von Braun: Dreamer of Space, Engineer of War (paperback)
Winner of the Eugene M. Emme Astronautical Literature Award of the American Astronautical Society, 2008; winner of the Richard W. Leopold Prize of the Organization of American Historians, 2008; winner of a Secretary of the Smithsonian's Research Prize, 2008.
Black Wings: Courageous Stories of African Americans in Aviation and Space History
Colin Powell once observed that "a dream doesn't become reality through magic; it takes sweat, determination, and hard work." This sentiment is mirrored dramatically in the story of African Americans in aerospace history.
Von Braun: Dreamer of Space, Engineer of War
Winner of the Eugene M. Emme Astronautical Literature Award of the American Astronautical Society, 2008; winner of the Richard W. Leopold Prize of the Organization of American Historians, 2008; winner of a Secretary of the Smithsonian's Research Prize, 2008.
Rocketeers and Gentlemen Engineers: A History of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics...and What Came Before
Written on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the AIAA.