All Stories

How a WWII WASP pilot's flight jacket came to be part of the museum's collection.

On December 7, 1941, Ruth gathered his copilot and three Marines and set out in his Sikorsky JRS-1 amphibian flying boat to locate the Japanese fleet. His bravery earned him the Navy Cross and a place among the heroes of that day. 

The conservation of World War II Triple Ace Bud Anderson’s flight jacket provides insight into a fighter pilot’s life and the meticulous work required to preserve it for display.

Born in 1941 to parents from Chile and Spain, Boris Vallejo grew up in Lima, Peru, and went on become one of the stars of the science fiction and fantasy art world in Hollywood.

A small group of Americans, many of them women, joined pliots from 25 other countries in England's Air Transport Auxilliary, where they ferried hundreds of thousands of planes across the British Isles.

How the war in Afghanistan transformed both the MQ-1 Predator and the Night Stalkers from supporting roles to leading actors in 21st-century warfare. 

In her new book, On a Mission: The Smithsonian History of US Women Astronauts, Valerie Neal explores what makes an astronaut. 

An author's journey recounting the first single-day transcontinental flight across the United States in 1924.

Cesar Rodriguez flew the Museum’s newly acquired F-15C, which was in several Desert Storm engagements.

We talk to a real-life "Rosie the Riveter" and hear the story of how World War II transformed American aviation, manufacturing, and labor.