Smithsonian Voices

From the Smithsonian Museums

The F/A-18C Hornet, Bureau Number 163439, of the U.S. Navy Blue Angels, makes its last stop as it joins the National Air and Space Museum’s collection.

A Blue Angel Makes Its Final Flight Into The National Collection

On November 18, 2020, Cmdr. Frank “Walleye” Weisser, USN, a member of the Navy’s Blue Angels flight demonstration team, flew into Dulles International Airport to deliver a McDonnell Douglas F/A-18C Hornet to the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center.

Informal classroom portrait of teacher Herbert Stephen Desind (1945-1992), wearing a reproduction Apollo-era spacesuit, holding an American flag; circa 1980s. Desind was a space flight aficionado, and his collection of photographs of aircraft and spacecraft was donated to the National Air and Space Museum in 1997. This image is part of the Herbert Stephen Desind Collection.

Herbert Desind: A Passion for Spaceflight

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

Famous Correspondents of Arthur C. Clarke

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

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”

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

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

Farewell to the Zeiss Planetarium Projector

The Sonic Wind 1 rocket sled, which was powered by nine solid fuel rockets with 40,000 pounds total thrust for five seconds. Credit: Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum

Record-Breaking Rocket Sled Created Modern Safety Standards

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Reflections from a Vietnam War POW

The Story of Snoopy in Space

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