National Air and Space Museum
Suit Up With Astronaut Tailor Pablo de Leon
They look cool, they weigh a ton and they can save your life. But who designs the space suits our astronauts wear, how is it done, and what might they look like in the future? As part of Smithsonian’s celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, Argentinean aerospace engineer Pablo De Leon will be discu...
October 14, 2010 |
By Jeff Campagna
October 4, 2004: SpaceShipOne Wins $10 Million X Prize
On October 4, 2004, SpaceShipOne—the first privately owned, piloted vehicle to reach space—returned from its third journey to clinch the $10 million Ansari X Prize. The prize, meant to encourage entrepreneurship in space travel, was awarded to creator Burt Rutan and financier Paul Allen after the s...
October 04, 2010 |
By Jess Righthand
Wednesday Roundup: Archives Month, Accelerometers, Roller Skates and Great Debates
For the record, October is American Archives Month—To celebrate, the Smithsonian Collections blog, SIRIS, is hosting a 31-day blogathon, where Smithsonian museums and affiliates will be blogging about their archives, giving an insider's look at what goes into preserving and storing so many precious...
September 29, 2010 |
By Jess Righthand
Events: Argentine Design, American Graffiti, a Portrait Gallery Party and More
Monday, September 27: Sadly, no special events are slated for today. However, visit this site for a full listing of regularly-scheduled goings-on around the Smithsonian and I am sure something is bound to strike your fancy.Tuesday, September 28: All Hands on Design! Designers from ArgentinaFor thos...
September 27, 2010 |
By Jesse Rhodes
Events: Victory Gardens, Aviation Films, Performance Readings and More
Monday, September 13: Picture This! A World in a Work of Art, 2-Session Evening CourseEveryone learns how to read words just fine in school, but no one really teaches you how to read images. Get a crash course in how to read and gain information from artworks in this two-session event brought to yo...
September 13, 2010 |
By Jesse Rhodes
The Moon Is Shrinking!
We are all familiar with the constant waxing and waning of the moon, the optical result of sunlight illuminating the moon as it orbits around the earth. But Dr. Thomas Watters, a senior scientist with the National Air and Space Museum's Center for Earth and Planetary Studies, has discovered that, i...
September 09, 2010 |
By Jess Righthand
This Just In: Free Wi-Fi on the National Mall
We here at ATM are pleased to relay an exciting announcement made by District of Columbia Mayor Adrian Fenty and District Chief Technology Officer Bryan Sivak today: new outdoor hotspots provide free Wi-Fi coverage on the National Mall, from 3rd Street to 14th Street!That's right. Anyone with a lap...
September 08, 2010 |
By Megan Gambino
Events: FONZ Photo Club, Babe Ruth, Taiwanese Film and More!
Tuesday, September 7: 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 were thinking Henry Winkler) photo club’s monthly meeting. Share your phot...
September 06, 2010 |
By Jesse Rhodes
Labor Day Weekend Events: New Elephant Habitat, Tango Demonstrations and Storytelling
Friday, September 3: Opening of Elephant Trails Phase IThat's right, the first part of the new and improved elephant habitat is now open to the public! This new habitat and information center will allow the zoo's Asian elephants to live in herds—just as they do in the wild—and include walking trail...
September 03, 2010 |
By Jesse Rhodes
Events: Book Signings and Exploring the Planet Mercury
Monday, August 30: Sadly, no special events are slated for today. However, visit this site for a full listing of regularly-scheduled goings-on around the Smithsonian and I am sure something is bound to strike your fancy.Tuesday, August 31: Book Signing: George Norfleet’s Pilot's Journey: Memoirs of...
August 30, 2010 |
By Jesse Rhodes
Events: Human Origins, Cold War Pop Culture, a Book Signing and More!
Monday, August 23: Sadly, no special events are slated for today. However, visit this site for a full listing of regularly-scheduled goings-on around the Smithsonian and I am sure something is bound to strike your fancy.Tuesday, August 24: Book Signing: George Norfleet's Pilot's Journey: Memoirs of...
August 23, 2010 |
By Jesse Rhodes
Events: Negro League Baseball, Spy Satellites, Doll Making and More!
Monday, August 16: Sadly, no special events are slated for today. However, visit this site for a full listing of regularly-scheduled goings-on around the Smithsonian and I am sure something is bound to strike your fancy.Tuesday, August 17: Doll Making WorkshopHave you ever wanted to make your own a...
August 16, 2010 |
By Jesse Rhodes
Wednesday Roundup: Conspiracies, Leopards and Chop Suey
Conspiracy Theories: For those who have always harbored a fear of the Bermuda Triangle, or suspected that aliens have contacted Earth, the Air and Space Museum is considering launching an educational program on aerospace conspiracy theories, of which there are many. This week, curator Roger D....
August 11, 2010 |
By Jess Righthand
Ranger 7 Gives First Up-Close Look at the Moon
With the USSR's launch of the unmanned Sputnik I satellite in October 1957, the United States was racing to best its communist competitor at space exploration. After this accomplishment, the Soviets soon became the first to have a satellite orbit the earth, the first to send animals and then humans...
July 30, 2010 |
By Jesse Rhodes
The Nobel Prize With the Most Frequent Flyer Miles
Earlier this year, astronaut Piers Sellers contacted Nobel-Prize-winning physicist John Mather to see whether or not he would be interested in lending his 2006 medal to the space shuttle Atlantis for his upcoming trip to the International Space Station.Mather’s winning work involved measuring “co...
July 29, 2010 |
By Jess Righthand
Wiley Post Gets His Props
Wiley Post is the Rodney Dangerfield of pilots. He gets absolutely no respect from people today. Sure, everyone knows who Charles Lindbergh is–he was the first person to fly non-stop across the Atlantic, right? But Wiley Post did Lindy a few continents better, and flew around the entire world by hi...
July 22, 2010 |
By Jeff Campagna
Play on: The goSmithsonian Trek Ends July 24
Our mobile adventure goSmithsonian Trek ends this Saturday, July 24. In its short one-month run, the goSmithsonian Trek has inspired players to explore, create and interact with Smithsonian Museums like never before. Trekkers are encouraged to answer questions, write haikus and slogans and take pho...
July 19, 2010 |
By Jamie Simon
Mars Day!
Just a few weeks after the White House released its new National Space Policy, stating its intent for NASA to send humans to orbit Mars by the mid-2030s (among other things), the National Air and Space Museum hosts its annual Mars Day. The event, now in its 15th year, will be held next Friday, July...
July 09, 2010 |
By Megan Gambino
Events: Roswell, The Pony Express, Andrew Jackson and More!
Tuesday, July 6: 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 were thinking Henry Winkler) photo club’s monthly meeting. Share your photos, h...
July 06, 2010 |
By Jesse Rhodes
Events: Harry Truman, Upton Sinclair, Typewriters and More!
Monday, June 28: Cultures in Motion Performance Series: Harry S Truman: The Man from IndependenceIn this theatrical piece, learn more about the man who went from a being a haberdasher to president of the United States. During his term in office Truman, among other things, made controversial decisio...
June 28, 2010 |
By Jesse Rhodes
