All Stories

During the Museum's East-End reopening in the summer of 2025, astronaut Sian Proctor and Chauncey Spencer II were connected by chance thanks to Museum curator Cathleen Lewis.

Learn about the development of the Piper J-3 "Cub" and its intersecting stories with workers who manufactured the planes and new pilots who used them during WWII. 

Americans with disabilities have made history flying almost since the airplane was invented.

Chauncey Spencer and Dale White were charged with flying to DC to advocate for opportunities for Black pilots.

Charles Alfred Anderson most accomplished aviators in the country and a ground-breaking advocate for Black pilots.

Many of Robert H. Goddard's early rockets are part of the National Air and Space Museum’s permanent collection, some of which are on display at the Museum in Washington, D.C., and at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Virginia. 

Before Zambia’s Independence Day in October 1964, Edward Makuka Nkoloso announced to the press, and all who would listen, the formation of the Zambian Space Program. He promised to beat both the United States and the USSR in sending humans to the Moon and pledged to send trained cats to Mars.

James E. Martin, an electronics technician who worked in the RCA Space Center, helped build the Ranger 7 spacecraft’s camera system, which sent back over 4,000 detailed images in less than 17 minutes before crashing into the Moon in 1964.

In 2024, Jeanette Epps set the mark as the African American astronaut who has spent the most time in space. 

We were devastated when we heard of Nikki Giovanni's passing earlier this week. We are in the process of sharing our favorite episodes from the past and felt it was fitting to bring you back our QueerSpace episode featuring Nikki among other futurist artists.