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National Air and Space Museum

US Navy blimp L-8 in flight to drop off supplies to the Doolittle Raiders off the coast of California. (U.S. National Archives and Records Administration)

A Special Delivery for the Doolittle Raiders

On April 2, 1942, the aircraft carrier USS Hornet was part of a secret plan to strike back at Japan. With no room for aditional airplanes to land on the flight deck filled with B-25 Mitchell bombers, the US Navy turned to the Navy blimp L-8 for a specialy delivery.

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.

Aircraft designer Neal Loving flying his WR-3 near Springfield, Ohio.

Neal V. Loving: Pilot, Engineer, Aircraft Designer

Curator Russell Lee shares the story of aircraft designer Neal V. Loving.

Alma W. Thomas, Blast Off, 1970, acrylic on canvas, 74 x 54 inches

The Art of Alma W. Thomas: A Colorful Response

Carolyn Russo, curator of the Museum's art collection, reflects on the work of Alma W. Thomas.

The 101 African American officers arrested at Freeman Field about to be transported to Goodman Field, Kentucky. This image was likely taken with a hidden camera by Master Sergeant Harold J. Beaulieu, Sr. Other photographs of the event taken by another African American enlisted man were destroyed by a white officer on the spot.

Mutiny at Freeman Field: The Tuskegee Airmen on Trial, Part 2

In 1945, the Tuskegee Airmen of the 477th Bombardment Group protested discrimination at Freeman Field through pre-planned displays of resistance against the segregated officers' clubs.

Men of the all-African American 477th Bombardment Group pose in front of a North American B-25 Mitchell.

A Pattern of Resistance: The Tuskegee Airmen on Trial, Part 1

The Tuskegee Airmen’s fight for equality involved more than their skills in the air. It required coordinated, collective actions of civil disobedience in which 162 officers risked their careers and their lives to stand up against systemic racism in the US Army Air Forces (AAF).

Reverend Ralph Abernathy, Hosea Williams, and other members of the SCLC Poor People's Campaign march through the lunar lander exhibit at Kennedy Space Center before the launch of Apollo 11.

The Challenge Before Us: A Historical Reflection on 1969 and 2020

On the same day that a commercially-built spacecraft docked with the ISS for the first time, cities across this nation experienced widespread protests sparked by profound racial disparities. The confluence of events drew comparisons to 1968 and 1969, when successful flights to the Moon occurred in the midst of a similarly fraught moment. Curator Margaret Weitekamp reflects.

Three WASP at Avenger Field in Sweetwater, Texas.

Flying on the Homefront: Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP)

Aeronautics curator Dorothy Cochrane explores the history of the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) and their fight for recognition for their contributions to World War II.

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?

Curator Margaret Weitekamp reflects on the return of human spaceflight from US soil, and the implications of that capability throughout history.

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

Spacesuit curator Cathleen Lewis explores what we know — and don't know — about SpaceX's Crew 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

On the eve of SpaceX's first Crew Dragon launch, space history curator Jennifer Levasseur examines how NASA's relationship with the contractors that build its spacecraft has changed since the first days of human spaceflight.

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