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National Air and Space Museum

Starship Enterprise

Get a Closer Look at the Star Trek Enterprise Model

The starship model used in filming underwent an extensive conservation

Prosthetic Spock ear tips against black background

The Iconic Ears of Mr. Spock

A set of prosthetic ear tips made for Leonard Nimoy to portray Mr. Spock in “Star Trek: The Original Series” have joined the collection of the National Air and Space Museum.

The Doomsday Machine, a cone-shaped planet destroyer, from Star Trek: The Original Series (1966). (Image courtesy of CBS Television Studios)

My Favorite Classic Star Trek Episode

Archivist Mark Kahn became enamored of Star Trek back in the early 1970s, when it went into syndication after completing its three-year run on NBC in 1969. Many fans agree that the 1967-68 season produced some of the best episodes of the series, yet contrary to the opinion of most, he believes The Doomsday Machine is the best of them all.

Arthur C. Clarke poses for a photo while he sits at his desk, circa 1969.

Famous Correspondents of Arthur C. Clarke

Throughout his long life, famed science fiction author Arthur C. Clarke corresponded with numerous people. This blog examine the correspondents that Clarke had with Stanley Kubrick, rocket scientist and pioneer Wernher von Braun, and Irish fantasy author Edward Plunkett, who published under the name Lord Dunsany.

Portrait of science fiction author Ray Bradbury. (Copyright © V. Tony Hauser, Courtesy The Ray Bradbury Literary Works, LLC.)

Gaining Inspiration from The Martian Chronicles

August 22, 2020, is the 100th anniversary of science fiction author Ray Bradbury’s birth. To honor the centennial, Museum geologist John Grant reflects on Bradbury’s impact on his career studying Mars.

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

How Star Wars became a "merchandising empire" and one of the biggest box office hits of all time.

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.)

That’s no Moon, it’s a space station—or, rather, a satellite. With its spherical shape and piecemeal construction, it’s easy to see similarities between the Telstar satellite on display at the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum and the infamous Death Star of the Star Wars films. Aside from a passing resemblance in design, both pieces of technology also address a larger question that has been a focal point for humankind in reality and fantasy: what does space mean for humanity?

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

How Star Wars Revolutionized Entertainment

Three ways Star Wars changed the entertainment business.

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

While the real world might be behind the curve on Wakanda’s technology, some of the planes featured in the <em>Black Panther</em> universe share similarities to emerging autonomous aircraft.

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

Arthur C. Clarke poses for a photo beneath a sign advertising the motion picture

"2001" Celebrates 50 Years

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