The Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum has released its online program calendar for May and June 2020. The museum moved all programming online while its locations are closed as a public health precaution due to COVID-19. Building on the success of the weekly “Air and Space Live Chats” and special programs like “Space Songs: Through the Distance,” a concert presented on YouTube April 30, the museum continues its virtual programming to engage the public and help build a nation of innovators and explorers.

All of the museum’s online educational resources have been carefully curated on its Air and Space Anywhere page, targeted for all ages, and its K-12 Learning Resources, geared toward parents and children learning at home.

“Air and Space Live Chats”

May 14: “Spacesuits” with spacesuit curator Cathleen Lewis and spacesuit conservator Lisa Young

May 20: “Pioneering Women in Space” with NASA astronaut Mary Cleave

May 21: The Wright Brothers

May 28: “The First US Crewed Launch Since 2011”

June 4: “55th Anniversary of the First US Spacewalk—Gemini IV”

June 11: “The Dragonfly Mission to Titan”

June 18: “Pilot Panel”

June 25: “From Air Disaster to Air Success”

The Air and Space Live Chat are presented at 1 p.m. on the museum’s Facebook page, where viewers will have the opportunity to ask questions of the speakers, and on the museum’s website.

“STEM in 30” Mission Debriefs

May 7: “World War II and VE Day”

May 18: “Earthquakes and Volcanoes”

The “STEM in 30” Mission Debriefs are presented at 1 p.m. on the “STEM in 30” Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/STEMin30/.

Flights of Fancy Online Story Times

May 19: “The Story of Bessie Coleman" by Ann Caspari, illustrated by Diane Kidd

May 26: “Three Friends” by Ann Caspari, illustrated by Diane Kidd

June 2: “Pluto’s Secret” by David DeVorkin and Margaret Weitekamp, illustrated by Diane Kidd

June 9: “Barnstorming Pilots, Flying Circuses and Air Shows” by Ann Caspari, illustrated by Diane Kidd

The museum will release a new story time and a coinciding hands-on activity every other week on its YouTube channel at 11 a.m.: https://www.youtube.com/user/airandspace.

For more information on these programs, visit the museum’s website or Facebook page.

The National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C., is located at Sixth Street and Independence Avenue S.W. The Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center is located in Chantilly, Virginia, near Washington Dulles International Airport. Both facilities, along with all Smithsonian museums, are temporarily closed as a public health precaution. Normal hours are daily from 10 a.m. until 5:30 p.m. (closed Dec. 25). Admission is free, but there is a $15 fee for parking at the Udvar-Hazy Center.

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