National Air and Space Museum
Paying Homage to Sally Ride
Twenty-seven years ago today, when the seventh flight of the Space Shuttle Challenger launched from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, astronaut Sally Ride became the first American woman in space. She served as a mission specialist on the 147-hour journey, which touched back down at Edwards Air ...
June 18, 2010 |
By Megan Gambino
100-year-old Lifeboat Makes its Way to Air and Space
In the early 1900s, before American pilots tried to fly airplanes across the Atlantic Ocean, there was another challenge taking place in the skies: flying across the ocean in airships.Last week, the National Air and Space Museum acquired an artifact important to those early attempts—the Airship Ak...
June 14, 2010 |
By Erica R. Hendry
Events: National Zoo Photo Club, Jazz and More!
Tuesday, June 2: FONZ Photo ClubIf you’re a shutterbug with a penchant for snapping shots of critters, come on out to the National Zoo and participate in the FONZ (that’s Friends Of the National Zoo for those of you who thinking Henry Winkler) photo club’s monthly meeting. Share your photos, hear f...
June 01, 2010 |
By Jesse Rhodes
A Tour of the Solar System at Air and Space
For centuries, most of our visual understanding of our own solar system has come by way of offerings from the scientific fields. Rarely have the sun and its planets been appreciated as art.In the mid 1990s, artist Michael Benson set out to change that, using the Internet as a "personal space explor...
May 25, 2010 |
By Erica R. Hendry
Celebrating Milestones of Flight: Lindbergh and Earhart Cross the Atlantic
If for nothing else, the month of May is notable for two major milestones of aviation. On May 20 in 1927, Charles Lindbergh took off from New York on his way to becoming the first pilot to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean, and on the same day in 1932, Amelia Earhart took off from Newfoundland to ...
May 20, 2010 |
By Jesse Rhodes
Today in History: Jackie Cochran Breaks the Sound Barrier
Pilot Jackie Cochran, who became the first woman to break the sound barrier 57 years ago today—owes some of her breakthrough success in the sky to an ironic source: cosmetics.The Florida native had made a name for herself in New York City, putting charm and good looks to the task of landing a posi...
May 18, 2010 |
By Erica R. Hendry
Events: Puppets, Astronauts, the Vietnamese-American Experience, Christo and More
Sorry kids, nothing special is happening today. But be sure to check out this site for the long list of events and activities always happening at the Smithsonian.Tuesday, May 11: Tigers, Dragons, and Other Wise ‘Tails"This Smithsonian original puppet play provides wacky and modern spins on classic ...
May 10, 2010 |
By Jesse Rhodes
Behind the Scenes of "Hubble 3D," Now Playing at the Air and Space Museum
In May 2009, a crew of seven astronauts took off on the Space Shuttle Atlantis on a fourth and final mission to repair and service the Hubble Space Telescope, the renowned Earth-orbiting eye in the sky that has sent back two decades of spectacular images of the universe.The astronauts on board the ...
April 27, 2010 |
By Erica R. Hendry
Events: Albert Maysles, Mars Rovers, Hobbits and More!
Monday, April 23: March PointIn this film, three teenagers from Washington State's Swinomish Reservation make a film about two oil refineries that are harming the health of the people, the land, the water and the traditional way of life and gain a new sense of themselves during the creative proc...
April 26, 2010 |
By Jesse Rhodes
"Houston, We've Had A Problem": Remembering Apollo 13
It was 40 years ago today, April 13, 1970, just two days after a three-man crew took off on Apollo 13's mission to the moon, when Astronaut Jim Lovell told the flight directors in Houston, Texas, there was a problem.An oxygen tank had ruptured, causing the spacecraft to lose its electrical power as...
April 13, 2010 |
By Erica R. Hendry
Events: Ethel Merman, Musical Theater, Apollo 13 Memorabilia and More!
Monday, April 12: The Music in the Musical: The Light in the Piazza and Sophisticated LadiesThe Smithsonian heads out to DC's Arena Stage in a panel discussion that will explore how the sounds of opera and jazz spring up in Broadway musical theater—specifically in pieces like The Light in the Piazz...
April 12, 2010 |
By Jesse Rhodes
Events: Easter Monday, Guitar Workshop, Earth Day and More!
Monday, April 5: Easter MondayEaster Monday at the Zoo has been a long standing African American family tradition in Washington, DC. The day is rife with food and activities, which include an Easter egg hunt, crafts, live musical entertainment, and of course, lots of opportunities to get to know th...
April 05, 2010 |
By Jesse Rhodes
Gene Kranz's Apollo Vest
NASA Flight Director Gene Kranz famously wore a homemade white vest as he averted tragedy during the Apollo 13 mission
April 2010 |
By Owen Edwards
Saying Goodbye to One of America's Earliest Female Aviation Pioneers: Elinor Smith Sullivan
Amelia Earhart, the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic in 1928, comes to mind when talking about early flight—but a few other equally daring, though lesser known, female flyers of that era have stories to tell.One of them, Elinor Smith Sullivan, whose career coincided with Earhart’s, died ...
March 30, 2010 |
By Erica R. Hendry
Events: Women Inventors, Walking in Space, Quilting and More!
Monday, March 22: Seasoned with SpiritEnjoy episodes of the public television series Seasoned with Spirit, and join host Loretta Barrett Oden as she visits Native communities to learn about their agricultural and culinary traditions. In Food Upon the Water, Oden participates in a wild rice harvest ...
March 22, 2010 |
By Jesse Rhodes
Weekend Events: Tibetan Buddhism and Kite Flying
Friday, March 19: Milarepa: Magician, Murderer, SaintThis film tells the story of Milarepa, a major figure in the Karma Kagyu school of Tibetan Buddhism. In 11th century Tibet, young Milarepa is leading a privileged life. A world full of greed and betrayal upends his good fortune, compelling him to...
March 19, 2010 |
By Jesse Rhodes
Space Artist Robert McCall Dies at 90
Just inside the entrance to the National Air and Space Museum is a multi-story mural. In its center, a fully suited Apollo astronaut gazes out at museum-goers, lunar dust suspended in the air around his boots. To the astronaut's left, is the artist's swirling depiction of the Big Bang Theory on the...
March 02, 2010 |
By Megan Gambino
The Aftermath of the Snow at the Smithsonian
It has certainly been an unprecedented winter here in Washington, D.C., where a grand total of 54.9 inches of snow had fallen as of February 10, breaking the previous seasonal snowfall record set in 1898-99.So how has the Smithsonian been affected? Now that the skies and the streets are clear, we h...
February 23, 2010 |
By Megan Gambino
Weekend Events: Celebrate African American Aviation Pioneers and Rock Out at the Zoo's Wild Side Stage
Saturday, February 20: African American Pioneers in AviationIn honor of Black History Month, celebrate the African Americans who shaped modern aviation. In addition to arts and crafts activities, learn about Bessie Coleman, who was known for her daredevil piloting skills, the Tuskegee Airmen, the a...
February 20, 2010 |
By Jesse Rhodes
Weekend Events: Tai Shan's Farewell Party, a Gallery Talk and a Book Signing
Friday, January 29: Drawing on the Right Side of the BrainBetty Edwards' Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain was a mind-blowing book in which she asserted that artistic ability was not a matter of natural gift, but rather, a matter of changing how you perceive the world around you—and how you go...
January 29, 2010 |
By Jesse Rhodes
