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Space: the final frontier. For thousands of years humans have looked to the stars and wondered what might be up there. In 1961, the first human entered space, and by 1969 we had set foot on the Moon. Today, research and exploration in space continues.

 

Astronaut Ed White during the First American Spacewalk
Aviation
Spaceflight
Astronomy
Behind the scenes
People
Records and Firsts
Science
Society and Culture
Technology and Engineering
War and Conflict

Space: the final frontier. For thousands of years humans have looked to the stars and wondered what might be up there. In 1961, the first human entered space, and by 1969 we had set foot on the Moon. Today, research and exploration in space continues.

 

Astronaut Ed White during the First American Spacewalk

Stories

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The Ilyushin Il-2 Was Known as the “Flying Tank” Introducing RSS First Step
Parachutes Not Required Toy Story Forty Years of Discovery
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On demand

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Astronomy Careers: More Than Meets the Eye Presented Online Available on demand 3.2.1. Lift Off! Rocketry You Can Do Presented Online Available on demand
Venus Rediscovered: An Astrobiological or Astrophysical Frontier? Presented Online Watch On Demand
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Events

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Learn more Story Time: Hare and Tortoise Race to the Moon National Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC Thursdays in April 2025 at 11:00 am Learn more Story Time: Dogs in Space National Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC Thursdays in June 2025 at 11:00 am Learn more Story Time: Hare and Tortoise Race to the Moon National Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC Thursdays in April 2025 at 11:00 am
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Exhibitions

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Learn more One World Connected National Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC Learn more Textron
How Things Fly National Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC
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Learning Resources

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History of Space Food A very short history of how people eat and what they eat in space. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kivw3nnSt_8 Grade 5, Grade 6, Grade 7, Grade 8 Apollo program, Human spaceflight, Life sciences, Mercury program, People, Science, Spaceflight

Student

educational-use-permitted

 Flights of Fancy Field Trip Pre and Post Visit Materials - Space Walk - Spanish A mixture of experiment and activites to expand learning on the Space Walk Storytime. Learn about space scientists and about the tools they use. The activities connect to Standards of Learning https://s.si.edu/SpaceWalkPreandPostVisitMaterials_es_us Grade K, Grade 1, Grade 2 Astronomy, Moon (Earth), Telescopes, Solar System, Spaceflight

Teacher

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 Flights of Fancy Story Time Field Trip Pre and Post Visit Materials - Tortoise and Hare - Spanish A mixture of experiments and activities to expand the learning on the Tortoise and Hare Rocket Race Storytime. Learn about the Moon and the Space Race. Activities connect to standards of learning. https://s.si.edu/TortoiseandHareRocketRaceFieldTripPreandPostMaterials_es_us Grade K, Grade 1, Grade 2 Astronomy, Human spaceflight, Moon (Earth), Records and Firsts, Spaceflight

Teacher

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 Food on the Fly - STEM in 30 - Season 10 - Episode 1 I need to eat, you need to eat - we all need to eat. In this episode we’ll explore how the simple act of eating, under certain circumstances, can become complicated. https://airandspace.si.edu/multimedia-gallery/food-fly-stem-30-season-10-episode-1 Grade 4, Grade 5, Grade 6, Grade 7 General aviation, People, Science, Spaceflight, Technology and Engineering

Other

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 History of Airline Food A short history of airline food. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RcXBBxDFaAs Grade 5, Grade 6, Grade 7, Grade 8 Aviation, Commercial aviation, Human spaceflight, Physical science, Spaceflight

Other

educational-use-permitted

 STEM in 30: Ask an Astronaut with Randy "Komrade" Bresnik and Paolo Nespoli NASA astronaut Randy “Komrade” Bresnik and ESA astronaut Paolo Nespoli join STEM in 30 to talk about their recent six-month stay on the International Space Station (ISS). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UcuQbAL6r1k Grade 6, Grade 7, Grade 8 Space stations, Human spaceflight, Spaceflight

Student

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Publications

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Learn more Spaceships 2nd Edition Learn more Space Craze
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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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