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National Air and Space Museum

Four men stand on a paved runway behind a large, grey twin-engine remote-controlled model airplane. The man on the far right holds a radio transmitter with a long antenna, while a small helicopter is visible in the sky behind him. The scene is set under

How to Make an Airplane Crash Look Real on Film

Starship Enterprise

Get a Closer Look at the Star Trek Enterprise Model

Prosthetic Spock ear tips against black background

The Iconic Ears of Mr. Spock

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

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

Famous Correspondents of Arthur C. Clarke

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

Gaining Inspiration from The Martian Chronicles

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

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

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

"2001" Celebrates 50 Years

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