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Stories from Rebecca Maksel

The P-51 Hell-er-Bust at sunset in Nampa, Idaho.

Air & Space Quiz: Test Your Knowledge of the P-51

Lincoln Ellsworth (1926)

Lincoln Ellsworth’s Polar Star

Surveying Antarctica by air in 1935.

In the National Air and Space Museum’s How Things Fly gallery last September, Explainer Rae Stewart helps a young visitor understand the forces acting on an aircraft in flight.

Science Explainer, National Air and Space Museum

Mr. Green’s ascent in the Royal Vauxhall, circa 1836, is one of several illustrations found in William Upcott’s scrapbook of early aeronautica.

Crowdsourcing History

Smithsonian volunteers transcribe everything from Apollo stowage lists to reports on early balloon ascensions.

“AAF POW’s Delight”: Gloopy and extremely sweet, but certainly preferable to POW rations.

A Dessert Only a POW Could Love

In a cook-off between aviators and astronauts, who would win?

Once a preservative coating was removed, this 1933 Wright XR-2120 cutaway engine’s stark beauty was revealed.

When the Patient Is an Engine

The center section of one of the most unusual aircraft of World War II.

Restoring Germany’s Captured “Bat Wing”

A team of conservators works to preserve the innovative Horten Ho 229 V3.

The ambitious Oakland Airport Inn featured 37 rooms, a restaurant, barbershop, and airline ticket office.

Amelia Earhart Slept Here

The country’s first airport hotel opened in Oakland, California, in 1929.

An F-35A, piloted by Major Scott "Shark" McLaren from the 461FLTS, over the sea test range at Point Mugu, California, 2011.

Air & Space Quiz: Test Your Knowledge of the F-35

Hi, we’re back!

Neil Armstrong’s Gloves and Helmet Go Back on Display

The historic artifacts come out of the cold, but only for a year.

The Sikorsky HH-52A Seaguard was officially taken into the Museum’s collection in April. It is on display at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Virginia.

At Long Last, The Museum Has a Coast Guard Helicopter

A Sikorsky Seaguard enters the National Air and Space Museum collection.

"Diamonds Are Forever" was turned into a movie starring Sean Connery (the only acceptable Bond) in 1971.

That Time James Bond Offended the Irish

Ian Fleming’s fourth book caused consternation at Shannon Free Airport.

The Hendon Aviators celebrated Gustav Hamel’s and Bentfield Hucks’ successful inverted flights by having an “upside-down” dinner in their honor.

The Upside-Down Dinner

To celebrate inverted flight, the Hendon Aviators ate their meal upside-down and backwards.

A frigate in flight. Some of the juveniles in the study stayed continuously aloft for more than two months.

Can UAV Designers Learn From Soaring Birds?

Frigates use cumulus clouds as a kind of up elevator.

The 16- by 12-foot interactive wall is part of the National Air and Space Museum's new GO FLIGHT digital experience. Visitors to the Mall location can use the wall to create a personalized tour of artifacts.

Happy 40th Birthday, National Air and Space Museum!

After a two-year renovation, the Boeing Milestones of Flight Hall reopens July 1.

Decoding flight attendants' hidden language.

Air & Space Quiz: Test Your Knowledge of Airline Slang

For his unforgettable night shows, aerobatic pilot Gene Soucy adds fireworks to all four wingtips of his Grumman ShowCat.

Air & Space Quiz: Aerobatic Maneuvers and How They Got Their Names

The Piper Cub

Ten Great Moments in Aerospace History

And you can learn about all of them in one trip to the National Air and Space Museum.

Air & Space Quiz: History of the Blue Angels

Air & Space Quiz: Can You Guess These 10 Strange Facts About Space?

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