National Air and Space Museum

Audrey Flack, Spitfire, 1973, acrylic on canvas, 73 x 110.5 inches, Gift of Stuart M. Speiser from the Stuart M. Speiser Photorealist Collection, National Air and Space Museum.

Beneath the Surface: Audrey Flack’s Photorealism

Viewing the painting Spitfire, 1973, by photorealist painter Audrey Flack is like looking at a plane spotting puzzle.

The Curtiss SB2C Helldiver

Curtiss SB2C Helldiver: The “Big-Tailed Beast”

The Curtiss SB2C Helldiver could have been the U.S. Navy’s frontline carrier-based dive bomber for much of World War II, but problems with its development delayed its introduction and saddled it with a bad reputation.

Ruth Law stands in front of her Wright Model B biplane at the New York State Fair, Yonkers, 1913.

Women's Suffrage Stories in the Archives

On August 18, 2020, the United States celebrates the 100th anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution, which declared that the right to vote "shall not be denied...on account of sex." Several collections in the National Air and Space Museum Archives provide short stories along the long path of the women’s suffrage movement and the 19th Amendment.

Artist's concept of Mars 2020 rover with sample tubes.

Why NASA Is Headed Back to Mars with Mars Rover Perseverance

Mars is about to have a new resident: Mars rover Perseverance. Learn more about the latest mission to Mars — and what we hope to learn.

The Hope spacecraft of the United Arab Emirates' Emirates Mars Mission during testing.

Launching Hope to Mars

Museum director Ellen Stofan reflects on the significance of the United Arab Emirates upcoming mission to Mars.

A US flag flies over the captured U-858 as it receives a K-ship escort to Lewes, Delaware. (Official US Navy photograph via National Archives and Records Administration.)

K-Ships vs. U-Boats

Historian Thomas Paone explores the important role played by K-ships in hunting German U-Boats during World War II.

65 Squadron received eight new Spitfires through the sponsorship of the East India Fund in July 1940. These new Spitfires featured de Havilland constant-speed propellers.

Better Propellers for “The Few”: Desmond Cooke’s Legacy in the Battle of Britain

Curator Jeremy Kinney explores the contribution of Royal Air Force leader Desmond Cooke to the improvement of Supermarine Spitfires prior to the Battle of Britain.

Navy pilot Edward Lewis “Whitey” Feightner (National Air and Space Museum Archives, Smithsonian Institution)

Remembering Edward Lewis “Whitey” Feightner

Curator Laurence Burke looks back on the extensive career of Navy pilot Edward L. “Whitey” Feightner.

One of the entrances to the underground tunnels of the Mittelwerk, as photographed by the U.S. Army after the liberation in April 1945.

“Wonder Weapons” and Slave Labor

Curator Michael Neufeld discusses how Nazi Germany's high-tech weapons were assembled in part by forced and slave labor from the various Nazi camp systems.

TWA transferred its entire fleet of five Boeing 307s, along with their flight crews, to the ATC. The airline opened regular transatlantic service in 1942.

Air Transport Command and the Airlines During World War II

During World War II, airlines worked closely with the military to further the war effort by transporting people and materiel. Bob van der Linden, curator of air transportation, discusses Air Transport Command.

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