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What Was It Like to Watch the Artemis II Launch

Visit us in Washington, DC and Chantilly, VA to explore hundreds of the world’s most significant objects in aviation and space history. Free timed-entry passes are required for the Museum in DC.
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Happy Holidays, Air and Space Style

The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade has been a holiday staple for almost 100 years, and the balloons have been a part of it for nearly as long. We got the download on these helium-filled works of art ...
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Let’s talk about the Artemis II SLS rocket!

Visit us in Washington, DC and Chantilly, VA to explore hundreds of the world’s most significant objects in aviation and space history. Free timed-entry passes are required for the Museum in DC.
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Started From the Bottom: How We Hung the Lockheed U-2C Spy Plane

The Lockheed U-2 is an iconic spy plane that first flew in 1955. The U-2 originated from the high tensions of the early Cold War, and the aircraft—returning on display at the Museum on the National ...
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Can Planets Collide with Each Other?

In George Pal’s 1951 movie “When Worlds Collide”, the rogue star Bellus passes through the solar system, destroying Earth after a spectacular sequence of earthquakes, lava flows, tidal waves, and ...
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National Air and Space Museum Announces Plans To Celebrate 50 Years

The Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum is celebrating 50 years since the building in Washington, D.C., opened to the public and will commemorate this milestone throughout 2026. The museum ...
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Resurrection of a Rare World War II Flight Jacket

Janice Christensen is remembered for her service during the war. Like thousands of other American pilots in World War II, Janice Christensen received a government-issued flight jacket. Christensen was ...
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After a Tragedy in 2002, Special Forces Soldiers Learned That Armed Drones Are a Combat Necessity

Why the Predator is here to stay. The Battle of Takur Ghar began three days into Operation Anaconda—an attempt by thousands of U.S. and allied troops to encircle Al Qaeda and Taliban forces in ...
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Fred Whipple Figured Out How to Hide Airplanes From Enemy Radar

How chaff was invented in World War II. In the summer of 2004, I met one of the great astronomers of the 20th century at his Boston home. I was there to help him clean out his front hall closet. Let ...
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Eyes on the Coast: Civil Air Patrol in World War II

With all available military planes and pilots needed on the front lines of World War II, the U.S. needed to get creative to protect merchant vessels and war ships from threats lurking in the water.
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Air Crews Remember the Reliable KC-10 with Affection

After decades of service, a legendary tanker says farewell. I’m seated in the tail of a U.S. Air Force KC-10 that is climbing to 25,000 feet somewhere over Big Sur. Looking out from the boom ...
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Preserving History at Hypersonic Speeds: A Close-Up Look at the North American X-15

The North American X-15 is a true marvel of aviation history –a pioneering hypersonic research aircraft that pushed the boundaries of aeronautical engineering in the 1960s. This rocket-powered plane ...