Societies and cultures around the world have been impacted by flight and space exploration. This impact ranges widely from being able to fly across the country in mere hours to standing in line to see the latest science fiction blockbuster film. People have also used aviation and space exploration as an avenue for change—calling out injustices in their society and fighting for equality—on land and above.

A collection of space-themed toys and comic books on a table with stars projected in the background.

Societies and cultures around the world have been impacted by flight and space exploration. This impact ranges widely from being able to fly across the country in mere hours to standing in line to see the latest science fiction blockbuster film. People have also used aviation and space exploration as an avenue for change—calling out injustices in their society and fighting for equality—on land and above.

A collection of space-themed toys and comic books on a table with stars projected in the background.

Stories

AirSpace Season 9, Episode 12: Defying Gravity AirSpace Season 9, Episode 7: Lasso the Moon
AirSpace Season 9 Bonus! My Mom the Rocket Scientist AirSpace Season 9, Episode 6: Star Search AirSpace Season 9, Episode 4 - Welcome to Roswell

On demand

Flights of Fancy Story Time: Three Friends' Alien Adventure Presented Online Watch On Demand

Events

Learn more Soar Together Family Activities: Cultural Astronomy Presented Online Virtual: Launches January 10, 2024

Exhibitions

Learn more America by Air National Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC Learn more One World Connected National Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC

Learning Resources

Teacher Tips for Food on the Fly Teacher Tips to correspond with STEM in 30's Food on the Fly episode. https://s.si.edu/3qnJWhY Grade 5, Grade 6, Grade 7, Grade 8, Grade 9 Commercial aviation, Human spaceflight, Life sciences, People, Society and Culture

Teacher

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My Path: Margot Lee Shetterly, Author of Hidden Figures From paper route to award winning author! Learn about Margot Lee Shetterly's path to publishing Hidden Figures. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zRghIrJUYTk Grade 5, Grade 6, Grade 7, Grade 8, Grade 9 African American or Black people, Human spaceflight, People, Behind the scenes, Society and Culture, Women

Student

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STEM in 30: STEM in Real Life: Science, Technology, Engineering, Math and More at the National Air and Space Museum Teachers, tune in to this special, 50th episode of STEM in 30 to learn all about STEM in real life. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=obalH1HfdCs Grade 7, Grade 6, Grade 8 Science, Society and Culture

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STEM in 30: Mail Away, Mail Away, Mail Away: Innovations in Delivering the Mail In the United States mail service often fueled the transportation industry to expand and innovate allowing more people to be connected, and ushered in an era of faster communication. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P2Zyd-VXv0o Grade 6, Grade 7, Grade 8 Technology and Engineering, People, Society and Culture

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My Path: Margot Lee Shetterly; Author of Hidden Figures From paper route to award winning author! Learn about Margot Lee Shetterly's path to publishing Hidden Figures. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zRghIrJUYTk Grade 5, Grade 6, Grade 7, Grade 8, Grade 9 African American or Black people, Human spaceflight, People, Behind the scenes, Society and Culture, Spaceflight, Women

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Coding Apollo and Today - Educational Webinar Recording This Hour of Code program for classrooms explored how coding was used in the Apollo program to get us to the moon and how coding is used today for official military space operations. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GS2trRfAn68 Grade 5, Grade 6, Grade 7, Grade 8, Grade 9, Grade 10, Grade 11, Grade 12, Grades 13-14, Grades 15-16 Apollo program, Science, Society and Culture, Technology and Engineering, Spaceflight

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Publications

Learn more Science Fiction and Computing: Essays on Interlinked Domains Learn more The Airplane in American Culture

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