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 - 8 of 8

AirSpace, a podcast, logo

July 09, 2024

AirSpace Season 9, Episode 5: X-Ray Vision

Story | AirSpace Podcast

When the Chandra X-Ray Observatory launched 25 years ago, it showed us our universe in a whole new light (literally). 

An artist's renderign of a cavernous museum exhibit space with a dark ceiling illuminated by images of bright white stars and a spiral galaxy. On the floor of the gallery, numerous visitors wander past glass display cases filled with artifacts. At the far left, a male mannequin in period dress stands on a ladder to look through the replica of a vintage telescope.

June 20, 2024

Discovering our Universe

Story | Air & Space Quarterly

A preview of the U.S. National Science Foundation Discovering Our Universe gallery.

The smooth surface of a round planet is partially illuminated by the sun; the planet's other half is in shadow. The planet is surrounded by thousands of rings.

March 20, 2024

Meet the Universe

Story | Air & Space Quarterly

Astronomer Phil Plait recently published Under Alien Skies. We caught up with him in this interview.

A multitude of stars packed together in a dense region of space, shining brightly in the surrounding darkness. A bright blue cloud in the lower half of the image with pitch black patches appearing within the cloud—areas which are so dense with matter that they block the light of distant stars.

December 20, 2023

Up To Speed

Story | Air & Space Quarterly

What’s new in aviation and space.

View of Venus as a thin waxing crescent during daytime hours.

August 01, 2023

How Did We Discover the Planets?

Story

When you look up you can see the stars, the Moon, and sometimes even other planets! We know what these otherworldly objects are because of centuries of research carried out by curious stargazers before us.  

AirSpace, a podcast, logo

December 10, 2020

AirSpace Season 3|Ep.11
Blinded by the Light

Story | AirSpace Podcast

Most of us live in places that give us a less than ideal view of the stars because of light pollution from our cities and suburbs. But keeping our skies dark is important for so many reasons – for nocturnal animals, for science and astronomy, and for cultural traditions around the world.

AirSpace, a podcast, logo

May 12, 2020

AirSpace Movie Club
Superman: The Movie

Story | AirSpace Podcast

Our at home movie mini series continues! Emily, Matt and Nick talk about the Man of Steel in his appearance in this 1978 classic.

Portable Planetarium

July 09, 2010

A Blue Igloo at the Udvar-Hazy Center?

Story | At the Museum

If you've wondered what the blue igloo at the Udvar-Hazy Center could be, it's the home of a new planetarium that helps students understand science.