Showing 1 - 10 of 1825

A film poster of a woman superhero at the center and surrounded but other characters.

October 11, 2025

Boris Vallejo, the Artist Who Helped Us Imagine Star Wars,Star Trek, and So Much More

Story

Born in 1941 to parents from Chile and Spain, Boris Vallejo grew up in Lima, Peru, and went on become one of the stars of the science fiction and fantasy art world in Hollywood.

Purple and pink logo of AirSpace

October 09, 2025

AirSpace Bonus! There's More to That: Auroras

Story | AirSpace Podcast

While you wait for AirSpace Season 11, check out this episode on the science and history of auroras from our friends at Smithsonian Magazine's podcast, There's More to That.

The Earth and the Moon pictured next to each other in a rendered image.

September 29, 2025

Can Two Planets Orbit Each Other?

Story

Planets orbit the Sun, and moons orbit planets and other small planetary bodies, but can two planets orbit each other? The short answer to this question is yes, two planets could orbit each other in what is typically called a double planet or a binary planet system.

World War II aircraft silhouette with the words HOME FRONT graphically overlaid. The background is green and the Museum and AirSpace logos are featured.

September 25, 2025

Civilian Pilots Across the Pond in WWII

Story | AirSpace Presents: Home Front

A small group of Americans, many of them women, joined pliots from 25 other countries in England's Air Transport Auxilliary, where they ferried hundreds of thousands of planes across the British Isles.

A grainy, green-tinted, circular view through a night vision scope shows a helicopter flying over a dark landscape at night.

September 17, 2025

After a Tragedy in 2002, Special Forces Soldiers Learned That Armed Drones Are a Combat Necessity

Story | Air & Space Quarterly

How the war in Afghanistan transformed both the MQ-1 Predator and the Night Stalkers from supporting roles to leading actors in 21st-century warfare. 

A photo collage consists of three black-and-white images taken in World War II: an airplane flying at high altitude, a man sitting inside the cabin of a bomber, and a large-dish ground radar.

September 16, 2025

Fred Whipple Figured Out How to Hide Airplanes From Enemy Radar

Story | Air & Space Quarterly

During World War II, astronomer Fred Whipple was central to the invention of radar-jamming chaff at Harvard University’s Radio Research Laboratory.

A white woman in her 30s sits on the concrete in front of a space shuttle configured for launch. Pointing to the sky, the shuttle is attached to a large fuel tank and two rocket boosters.

September 16, 2025

A New Book Explains the Delay in Hiring Women as Astronauts

Story | Air & Space Quarterly

In her new book, On a Mission: The Smithsonian History of US Women Astronauts, Valerie Neal explores what makes an astronaut. 

A composite image showing the rear view of a grey biplane on an airfield, with a vintage map of the United States layered over the background.

September 16, 2025

This Daring 1924 Flight Was a Race Against the Sun

Story | Air & Space Quarterly

An author's journey recounting the first single-day transcontinental flight across the United States in 1924.

Middle-aged man sits in cockpit of a vintage jet.

September 16, 2025

On the Road in Oshkosh, Wisconsin

Story | Air & Space Quarterly

A report on the National Air and Space Museum’s team's experience at the Experimental Aircraft Association’s AirVenture gathering in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. 

Two soda cans are suspended against a dark background. One can, with a red, white, and blue Pepsi logo, has a white plastic cap. The other can has a red and white Coke logo.

September 14, 2025

The World is Still Waiting for the Great Space Cola

Story | Air & Space Quarterly

In the 1980s, the Cola Wars between Coca-Cola and Pepsi got so intense, they even launched their rivalry into outer space.