Smithsonian Voices

From the Smithsonian Museums

This American flag was left on the International Space Station by the crew of STS-135, the last space shuttle mission, with the intention of it being retrieved by the next crew to launch from American soil.

Launching Astronauts from American Soil: Why is it Important?

Astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley walk through Crew Access Arm in SpaceX spacesuits during a dress rehearsal for the first crewed SpaceX launch.

SpaceX Dragon Launch and Entry Suits

Space X's Crew Dragon spacecraft, which is part of NASA's Commercial Crew Program.

Redefining How NASA Gets into Space

SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket at Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center in the days before the first crewed launch of the Crew Dragon spacecraft.

Launch Complex 39: From Saturn to Shuttle to SpaceX and SLS

U.S. Army Air Force technical sergeant Ben Kuroki, who served in the Europe and Pacific theaters during World War II.

Ben Kuroki: A Story We All Need to Know

The V-1 (Vergeltungswaffe Eins, or Vengeance Weapon One), was the world's first operational cruise missile. (Credit: National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Insitution)

The Myth of the German “Wonder Weapons”

Al Worden visits his Apollo 15 spacesuit at the National Air and Space Museum.

Our Friend Al Who Went to the Moon: Remembering Al Worden

A hand touching the Museum's lunar touchrock. Part of a photo series by Museum photographer Jim Preston.

Touching a Piece of the Moon

A set of Star Wars toys manufactured for the release of The Empire Strikes Back, 1980. This set was donated to the Museum in 1997 from a private donor, Michael O’Harro. Credit: Eric Long, National Air and Space Museum.

Star Wars: A Merchandising Empire

Backup spacecraft for Telstar, the world's first active communications satellite. Telstar 1 began an era of live international television. After its launch on July 10, 1962, it relayed television images between the United States and France and England.

That’s no moon. (It's also not the Death Star.)

An R2-D2 action figure issued for The Empire Strikes Back. Credit: National Air and Space Museum.

How Star Wars Revolutionized Entertainment

Amelia Earhart flew this Lockheed 5B Vega solo across the Atlantic and non-stop across the United States -- both firsts for a woman. Earhart left a greater legacy than her many record flights. She also helped promote aviation and air travel, especially among women, and proved that a woman could handle an airplane as well as a man.

Transforming the Barron Hilton Pioneers of Flight Gallery

The aircraft that enjoyed what was perhaps the longest and most successful career in air racing history was Steve Wittman's Chief Oshkosh, known in the post-World War II era as Buster. From 1931 until its retirement in 1954, this midget racer set records and took numerous trophies in class races and free-for-alls

The Many Lives of Buster the Air Racer

Return-to-Earth specialist Poppy Northcutt during the Apollo program.

Calculating Trajectories and Breaking Boundaries During Apollo

Artist Rendering The Nation of Speed exhibition will recount humankind’s desire to become the fastest on land, sea, air, and space in the pursuit of commerce, power, and prestige. This new gallery will be a portrait of human ingenuity and will explore how the pursuit of speed has shaped American culture and our national identity.

Ford v. Ferrari Reminds Us That We Are a Nation of Speed

Poster for the Aeronauts. Courtesy Amazon Studios.

The Aeronauts Brings the Bravado of Balloon Flight to the Big Screen (Artistic License Included)

Zeiss Projector in the Albert Einstein Planetarium at the National Air and Space Museum, weeks before being deinstalled.

Farewell to the Zeiss Planetarium Projector

NASA's Project Mercury astronauts on April 9, 1959. Known as the Mercury Seven or Original Seven, they are (front row, left to right) Walter M.

Remembering Tom Wolfe and "The Right Stuff"

T’Challa’s Royal Talon Fighter flying above Wakanda in the film Black Panther. Credit: Marvel Studios.

How Wakanda’s Talon Fighter Compares to Real World Aviation

Star Trek Starship Enterprise studio model used in filming the original 1960s television series. Credit: Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum, NASM2016-02678

Shields up! Protecting the Enterprise From UV Rays

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