What is a hybrid rocket motor? What advantages does it have over conventional liquid and solid propellant rocket motors? These questions point to an exciting breakthrough that occurred on December 13, 2018, when Virgin Galactic successfully launched VSS Unity on its first suborbital flight.
John F. Kennedy's assassination on November 22 and his funeral on November 25 occurred at a moment in which "live via satellite" was beginning to enter the Cold War world. Satellites broadcast information about his death around the world in a way never possible before.
Emily Martin, of the Museum's Center for Earth and Planetary Science, is a co-author on an exciting new study, discovering new features of Saturn's moon Dione
Wildfire season is getting longer, according to the US Forest Service, making firefighting a bigger, more vital operation each year. In this episode, Emily, Matt, and Nick take a look at how the pros fight wildfires with everything from large water-carrying airtankers and helicopters to daring smokejumpers who parachute into the blaze equipped with axes, shovels, and chainsaws.
Scientists have been looking for creative solutions to clean up space junk. One proposal from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory looks to nature for inspiration: the gecko.
At Holloman Air Force Base in New Mexico on December 10, 1954, the Sonic Wind No. 1 rocket sled let loose 40,000 pounds of thrust and propelled United States Air Force flight surgeon Col. John Stapp more than 3,000 feet in a few seconds. The benefits of Stapp’s research are evident every time a driver pulls on a seatbelt or a jet pilot safely ejects from a damaged aircraft.
Samantha O’Sullivan grew up visiting the National Air and Space Museum. Now, she works in our "How Things Fly" gallery as part of the Explainers Program.
The National Air and Space Museum's She Can STEM Summer Camp will offer middle school girls from low-income households a glimpse at the exciting opportunities that aerospace has to offer.
We explore the real-world engineering process in the Design Hangar at the Museum in Washington, DC. Now, you can try out our design challenges at home with just a few kitchen supplies.