Stories of daring, stories of technological feats, stories of prevailing against the odds ... these are the stories we tell at the National Air and Space Museum. Dive in to the stories below to discover, learn, and be inspired. 

Showing 1 - 10 of 43

Photographed against a black background is a robot wearing a silver uniform--with NASA spelled out across the robot's chest.

March 20, 2025

A Robot Could Be an Astronaut's Best Friend

Story | Air & Space Quarterly

This first-generation Robonaut, housed at the National Air and Space Museum,  was designed by the Robot Systems Technology Branch at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in a collaborative effort with DARPA.

A group of ten people wearing casual clothing stand beside a single-propellar, pristine-looking World War II aircraft painted with green, brown, and gray camoulage stripes and the large red star of the Soviet Union on its tail.

December 18, 2024

The Ilyushin Il-2 Was Known as the “Flying Tank”

Story | Air & Space Quarterly

What's new in aviation and space.

AirSpace, a podcast, logo

October 31, 2024

AirSpace Season 9 Bonus! Voting from a Station Far Far Away

Story | AirSpace Podcast

Have you ever wondered how astronauts on the ISS or elsewhere in space vote? We'll tell you exactly how to cast a ballot from 250 miles up in orbit on AirSpace.

AirSpace, a podcast, logo

January 31, 2024

AirSpace Season 8, Ep. 9: Video Killed the Radio Star

Story | AirSpace Podcast

MTV used that iconic neon scribbled astronaut as its channel ID for years. And even today the award you get when you win a VMA is a statuette of an Apollo era astronaut, but why is MTV obsessed with the Moonman?

Apollo-Soyuz Toasting in Space

August 15, 2023

The First Space Stations

Story

After the competitive short-term goals of human spaceflight had been met in the 1960s, many advocates of space exploration envisioned a permanent human presence in space.

The back of the box that 1994 Astronaut Barbie was sold in. It depicts Barbie walking on the Moon while wearing a white spacesuit and planting a Barbie flag into the ground.

July 18, 2023

Barbie: An Astronaut for the Ages

Story

There is perhaps no résumé in existence quite as long as Barbie’s. One of her oldest and arguably most iconic careers is as an astronaut. Let's take a look through some of her most iconic space looks, spanning 1965 to today.

An image of Skylab taken by the third and final crew of astronauts.  The original parasol sunshade installed by the first crew, which is a slightly darker color, can be seen under the twin pole sunshade that was installed by the second crew.

May 12, 2023

Saving Skylab

Story

During launch, the micrometeoroid shield surrounding the Skylab Workshop ripped loose. Designed to protect the workshop from tiny space particles and the sun's scorching heat, its loss caused sunlight to raise internal temperatures to over 130° F, making the station uninhabitable and threatening foods, medicines, films, and experiments that were onboard. Astronaut Rusty Schweickart was responsible for testing a parasol on Earth and developing procedures for deploying it in space in an effort to save America’s first space station.

Astronaut Jeremy Hansen, wearing a blue flight suit smiles and waves.

April 24, 2023

Why Is a Canadian Going to the Moon on Artemis II?

Story

The recent announcement of the crew for NASA’s upcoming Artemis II mission in Houston, Texas, featured a major role for Canada. Introduced with NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch was Canadian Space Agency (CSA) astronaut Jeremy Hansen. The four astronauts are scheduled to test the Orion spacecraft in high Earth orbit, then make a loop around the Moon—becoming the first human beings to venture into deep space since the Apollo 17 astronauts in December 1972. It is an honor to be selected for this crew, so why would a United States agency give up one of the seats to a Canadian?

Robert McCall’s famous painting for 2001: A Space Odyssey depicts a vast wheel-shaped space station spinning in space.

December 21, 2022

Visions of Space Stations

Story | Air & Space Quarterly

Artists have envisioned stunning possibilities of our futures in space, from living on distant worlds to constructing orbiting fuel depots. many of these paintings, drawings, and even models can be found in the collection of the National Air and Space Museum.

A photograph of Kelly with a view of the Earth in the background.

August 12, 2022

Seeing Earth Through Astronaut Eyes

Story

Curator Jennier Levasseur explores how astronauts have looked down at Earth during missions ranging from Apollo to the International Space Station expeditions.