The airplane emerged from World War I recognized widely for its potential as a military weapon. In the United States, Army pilots and Navy and Marine aviators worked to realize their different visions of the airplane’s ultimate role in American defense.

Learn about America's first swept-wing jet fighter, the F-86 Sabre, and its arch rival, the Soviet MiG-15. You'll also find out how helicopters came into their own during these conflicts.

The development of more advanced and precise air power after World War II.

Nation of Speed recounts our desire to become the fastest on land, sea, air, and space in the pursuit of commerce, power, and prestige.

One World Connected tells the story of how taking to the skies and stars fostered two momentous changes in everyday life: the ease in making connections across vast distances and a new perspective of Earth as humanity’s home.

The Wright brothers inaugurated the aerial age with their historic first flights at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, on December 17, 1903. The influence of their invention is beyond measure. The transport by air of goods and people, quickly and over great distances, and the military applications of flight technology have had vast economic, geopolitical, and cultural impact around the globe. The Wrights helped fashion a radically new world.
 

Learn how rocketry got a boost in the 20th century, altering warfare and taking humans into space.

Learn about the broad range of science performed by vehicles that travel into the Earth's atmosphere and beyond. The relatively young field of space science ranges from Earth observation to planetary exploration to astronomy and astrophysics.

Thomas W. Haas We All Fly celebrates the breadth and depth of general aviation and its deep impact on society. This gallery explores the many facets of general aviation, from sport to business to humanitarian, and introduces the variety of careers available in aviation.

While the German Luftwaffe demonstrated early successes in the use of airpower during World War II, and spurred many technological advancements, faulty military strategy and mismanagement of aircraft development programs ultimately led to its downfall.