All Stories

As we ring in 2022, we celebrate the friends that make the National Air and Space Museum so special.

After World War I, many people began to operate commercial airlines. But every one of these early efforts failed because of high operating costs.

Soon we will be witnessing the unfolding of another chapter in the Space Age. As the James Webb Space Telescope prepares for launch, there is still much tension and uncertainty amongst the scientists and engineers involved and the space community at large. Read about the intricacies involved in getting Webb to its final orbiting destination.

Traveling for the holidays? Would you rather take a trip to the Moon? On this episode of AirSpace, we’re breaking down Georges Méliès' iconic 1902 film “Le Voyage Dans La Lune.” Silent and only about 13 minutes long, this classic might lack a bit of 21st century movie pizazz but it was absolutely groundbreaking to science fiction and filmmaking.  Based on Jules Verne’s “From the Earth to the Moon,” it was the first film to depict space travel. It also features many moviemaking techniques Méliès pioneered in filming, editing, and storytelling that are still used by the film industry today.  We hear lunar weather this time of year is lovely – come on in, the spaceship is fine!

While fashion accessories may not be the first thing that comes to mind when thinking of the National Air and Space Museum, this collection captures the diversity and playfulness of flight crew dress across the decades.

New airlines emerging after World War II began operating on a nonscheduled basis and offering the first discount fares, undermining the government's regulated airfare system.

In 1978, Congress passed a law allowing airlines to set their own fares and routes, an event that transformed the commercial airline industry and the passenger experience.

How have computers transformed commercial flight? From ticket reservations to aircraft design and manufacture, computers have helped airline operations become more efficient and flexible.

A set of prosthetic ear tips made for Leonard Nimoy to portray Mr. Spock in “Star Trek: The Original Series” have been donated to the Museum by his son Adam Nimoy.

Air mail had helped the commercial aviation industry thrive in its early days. Contracts to deliver mail were awarded to airlines by the federal government, but small, independent airlines complained that the way contracts were distributed was unfair.