From The Guardians of the Galaxy to Captain Flight, comics and graphic novels have always been a fun way to learn more about aviation and space. The stories in comics also help us imagine what's possible for the future.

Explore the topic of air and space in comics below—it'll have you laughing and learning with every activity!

Jump to a Section:      Design Your Own Comic Book Character      Make Your Own Comic Strip      Story Time Recommendations        Spotlight Story      Collections Connection

Activity: Design a Comic Book Character

Best for ages 5-8

Science fiction and fantasy worlds are definitely very cool and exciting, but we wouldn't be so attached to all of these amazing imaginary worlds without the stories that go with them. Stories are always more meaningful and memorable when we can make personal connections with the story’s characters!

In this activity, make your own comic book character—what story would you want them to tell?

Materials:  

  1. Paper
  2. Drawing utensils like crayons, markers, or colored pencils

Step 1: Think about your character—is it a person, an animal, or some sort of alien creature?

What do they do? Are they a pilot, an astronaut, a superhero, a dancer, a teacher, an explorer? What do they wear?

Step 2: Draw your character and put them into a scene. Have fun with colors and be creative!

Step 3: Think of a name for your character, and consider their backstory. What kind of adventures will your character go on?

Step 4: Share your character with your friends and family!

Activity: Make Your Own Comic Strip

Best for ages 9 and up

Comics are a classic way of telling stories and they're fun to read because of the exciting and fun drawings and easy-to-read word bubbles. Follow along with the video to your left to learn how to make your own three panel comic strip!

Materials:  

  1. Paper
  2. Drawing utensils like crayons, markers, or colored pencils

Step 1: Fold your paper in half along the long side to create a skinny rectangle. This will be the length of your comic strip.

Step 2: Now you need to make the three panels for the comic strip. To evenly create the three panels, lightly fold both edges of the paper towards the middle and have them overlap each other. Your folded paper should be a square now, and if you unfold it back into a skinny rectangle, you can see the folds of the paper divide the rectangle into three squares. Take a drawing utensil and outline each of these squares. Now you have three panels! If you want to make a longer story, unfold the paper fully and use all 6 squares.

A diagram showing the evolution of story from introduction, to problem, to solution. The diagram takes the shape of an astronaut travelling past each plot point on a mountain.

At the far left side of this diagram an astronaut begins climbing a mountain. 

This stage is labeled "Introduction: Who are your characters? Where does you story take place?" At the peak of the mountain is another astroanut. This step is labelled "Problem: What went wrong in your story?" 

At the far right bottom of the mountain is a third astronaut. This step is labelled "Solution: How is your problem solved?"

Step 3: Decide what story you want to tell! Does your comic show what you've done so far today? Maybe it is about a character on a grand adventure in a spaceship! Use the 3 panels to tell your story.

  • To help plan, let's use the "Story Mountain" pictured here.
  • The first panel should be used to tell the start of the story.  This is where you introduce your character and the setting—where the character is. Use the character you create in the activity above.
  • The second panel introduces the problem or challenge your character faces.
  • The third panel shows how the problem was resolved.

Step 4: Draw your comic, then share it with your friends and family!

Story Time Recommendations

A figure in an orange NASA flight suit with their hands on their hips, with a large Moon behind them, and the Earth and Sun distant in the space background. The text reads "The Adventures of Commander Moonkin Campos and Friends Part 1."

The Adventures of Commander Moonikin Campos and Friends

Best for ages 5-8

Comics produced by NASA

Meet Commander Moonikin Campos, the mannikin who sat in the Commander's seat with a crew of two other mannikins for the "uncrewed" Artemis 1 mission to the Moon. It is named after NASA legend Arturo Campos, an electrical engineer who was instrumental in saving the Apollo 13 crew. Read all about their adventures and the first on many Artemis missions!

The cover of the "First Woman" comic book, featuring a young brown-skinned woman in a spacesuit looking upwards at a large Moon, holding her helmet in her hands. There is purple and black space with the distant Sun in the background. The text on the cover reads "First Woman, NASA's Promise for Humanity. Issue No 1. Dream to Reality. NASA'S First XR-Enabled Graphic Novel."

First Woman

Best for ages 8 and up

Comics produced by NASA in collaboration with the National Institute of Aerospace

By Brad Gann & Steven List, illustrated by Brent Donoho with Kaitlin Reid

Calista Rodriguez, aka Callie, has a heroic aim: to be the first woman on the Moon. Along with her trusty robot sidekick, RT, Callie's perseverance and passion allow her to make her dreams come true, but not without challenges along the way!

A comic book cover with two astronauts looking at each other in a competitive way. One of them has the American flag on his shoulder and the other one has the Soviet Union flag on his shoulder. They are hovering above a large Earth with satellites around it and the Moon is in space above and behind them. The text on the cover reads “Get to know your universe! Science Comics Human Spaceflight Rockets and Rivalry Andy Hirsch.”

Science Comics: Human Spaceflight

Best for ages 9-13

by Andy Hirsch

Once humans figured out how to launch rockets into orbit, the Space Race between the US and USSR began! Who will be the first to fly outside of Earth’s atmosphere, walk on the moon, or build a working lab in orbit? Follow the story of how the race to the moon became international teamwork in orbit, and find out how to travel at 17,500 mph, take a shower with no water, and go to the bathroom when there’s no gravity.

Spotlight Story

The First Woman comic series by NASA features astronaut Calista Rodriguez, whose determination and strength was inspired by so many strong women who came before her. One of those women, Kalpana Chawla, was an astronaut and aerospace engineer who made history as the first Indian woman to go to space.

An adult Indian American woman with long black hair wears an orange spacesuit, smiling for a picture in front of a grey background and American flag.

Kalpana was born in Karnal, India, and from a young age, she was fascinated by airplanes and space. She dreamt of flying and exploring the stars.

With her family’s support, she pursued her passion and moved to the United States to study. She earned a degree in aeronautical engineering, followed by a master’s, and a PhD in aerospace engineering, all while following her dream to one day become an astronaut. 

: A purple book cover of a comic strip about Kalpana Chawna. She stands, smiling, in front of a background of the Earth, Space, a space shuttle, and a satellite. The text reads "Journey to the Stars, Kalpana Chawla, Astronaut."

Chawla’s presence as an Indian American astronaut has had a profound impact on the South Asian community, inspiring new generations to pursue space exploration and STEM careers. 

Kalpana is a trailblazer. She showed that no dream is too big and that anyone, no matter where they come from, can make an impact in space exploration.

Two women float in zero gravity. They are surrounded by switchboards and scientific instruments. The woman on the left is of Indian-descent and holds a book open.

In 1997, Kalpana achieved that dream when she flew aboard the Space Shuttle Columbia. She was a mission specialist and was responsible for important scientific experiments during her time in space.

Unfortunately, Kalpana’s second mission aboard Columbia ended in tragedy when the shuttle broke apart during re-entry in 2003.

Despite this, her legacy lives on, inspiring young people around the world to reach for the stars.

Think About It

Kalpana Chawla followed her dreams no matter how difficult they were.

Do you have a big dream? Draw a picture of your dream job and share it with someone close to you!

Collections Connection

Discover objects in our collection related to air and space in comics.

Side view of light green and orange rocket ship figure with character figure in cockpit. "Rocket Police Patrol" is painted on the side of the cockpit in yellow and black.

Buck Rogers Police Patrol Ship

  • Buck Rogers was a popular science-fiction comic strip created by Philip Francis Nowlan in 1929. It tells the story of Buck, a United States Air Force pilot, who wakes up after 500 years and discovers a world full of exciting space travel!
  • Buck Rogers became super popular, leading to colorful comic strips, radio shows, TV programs, and even movies!
  • One of the cool toys from 1934 is the Buck Rogers Police Patrol Ship, showing just how loved the comic was. Comics like Buck Rogers helped many people dream about space travel long before it became a reality 20 years later!

Think About It: Does Buck Roger's Police Patrol ship look like any vehicles we have today? Is the shape or colors similar? Have vehicles ever looked this way, or do you think they will one day in the future?

Libro de historietas con una colorida ilustración de un globo aerostático que sobrevuela una batalla durante la guerra de Secesión. El texto dice: Abraham Lincoln's Fighting Flyer (El combatiente volador de Abraham Lincoln).

First Panel of Lincoln Flying Fighter Comic Strip

  • During World War II, a set of educational comics called the True Comics series came out to share interesting American history stories.
  • One of these stories was "Lincoln's Flying Fighter," a comic strip about the Union Army's balloon corps.
  • The comic tells some true events, like how the army first showed off the balloons on the mall in Washington, DC, and that President Lincoln thought they were a good idea. However, it mixes in some made-up details, too, so it’s not completely true! 

Explore Outside!

Are you proud of a comic strip you've made and you want to share it with the world? Consider drawing it with chalk outside! You could treat the squares of the sidewalk as panels in your comic strip! Or, use a different surface outside and make your own panels!

Will the natural environment change your story? Will you incorporate cracks in the sidewalk into your panels?

Or maybe the plants nearby will act as a natural backdrop to your story! 

Soar Together at Air and Space is made possible by the generous support of Northrop Grumman.

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