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 319

AirSpace, a podcast, logo

October 24, 2024

AirSpace Season 9, Episode 12: Defying Gravity

Story | AirSpace Podcast

With the Wicked movie coming out this November, we thought we'd look back on all things flight in the land of Oz and tell you all about how those effects were made for the screen and the stage. 

AirSpace, a podcast, logo

August 08, 2024

AirSpace Season 9, Episode 7: Lasso the Moon

Story | AirSpace Podcast

Over six missions, the Apollo astronauts collected and brought back 842 pounds of Lunar samples. Who decides what rocks go where? And how did the National Cathedral get a rock to put in a stained glass window??

AirSpace, a podcast, logo

July 25, 2024

AirSpace Season 9 Bonus! My Mom the Rocket Scientist

Story | AirSpace Podcast

Our conversation with Jack Black and his brother Neil Siegal about their Mother, Judith Love Cohen was too good just to give you just the taste from the end of our Star Search episode. 

AirSpace, a podcast, logo

July 25, 2024

AirSpace Season 9, Episode 6: Star Search

Story | AirSpace Podcast

There are a lot of air and space celebrities; pilots, astronauts, engineers, etc, etc. But there's another category of celebrities that are famous for other things but also have surprising ties to air or space.

AirSpace, a podcast, logo

June 25, 2024

AirSpace Season 9, Episode 4 - Welcome to Roswell

Story | AirSpace Podcast

The city of Roswell, New Mexico is kind of in the middle of nowhere. Out in the desert west of Texas, this small oasis in the dessert was first home to indigenous peoples, then cowboys, ranching and farming and then the military before becoming the crash site of a possible UFO in 1947.

A vibrant hydrogen balloon with intricate blue and gold designs floats above a bustling outdoor event set against a cloudy sky. Below, several white tents are set up in a grassy park, with groups of people mingling and walking around.

June 12, 2024

Balloon Expert Reacts to the Bridgerton Runaway Balloon Scene

Story

Just how accurate is the portrayal of lighter-than-air flight in the third season of Bridgerton? Ballooning curator Tom Paone provides historical context.

A fictional spaceship composed of a large central disk and three cylinders that run parallel.

March 20, 2024

To Boldly Restore the USS Enterprise Studio Model

Story | Air & Space Quarterly

Take a closer looks at details on the Star Trek starship Enterprise studio model from the original series, and learn more about the conservation process.  

AirSpace, a podcast, logo

February 08, 2024

AirSpace Season 8, Episode 10: Love at First Flight

Story | AirSpace Podcast

Hollywood is in love with airports and airplanes and we are too! How many rom-coms can you name with a romantic chase through the terminal or twist of fate seat assignment?

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?

Walt Disney, an senior man in a white button up short-sleeved shirt, with a tie and slacks, greets a small crowd of people in front of his airplane, which is large enough it extends out of frame and is white with orange and blue stripes.

January 03, 2024

Mickey Mouse One

Story | Air & Space Quarterly

Walt Disney was an aviation enthusiast who traveled around the country aboard his private airplane, which was nicknamed Mickey Mouse One.