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National Air and Space Museum

Smithsonian Voices

A massive atmospheric vortex on Jupiter is a dizzying swirl of brown, yellow, and green clouds that form a deep tunnel.

Scientists Strive to Explain the Strange Weather on Other Planets

What the swirling storms on alien worlds can tell us about the climate on Earth.

Damond Benningfield | April 23, 2025

An illustration depicts a large planet orbiting a distant star, amid a cloud of dust and rocky debris.

Patience Is a Virtue for Astronomers Searching for Signs of Extraterrestrial Intelligence

The search for radio signals from an extraterrestrial civilization

Damond Benningfield | August 20, 2024

An artist's renderign of a cavernous museum exhibit space with a dark ceiling illuminated by images of bright white stars and a spiral galaxy. On the floor of the gallery, numerous visitors wander past glass display cases filled with artifacts.

A New Museum Exhibit Gives a Grand Overview on the History of the Telescope

Behind-the-scenes of the upcoming U.S. National Science Foundation Discovering Our Universe gallery

Samantha Thompson | August 16, 2024

The smooth surface of a round planet is partially illuminated by the sun; the planet's other half is in shadow. The planet is surrounded by thousands of rings.

The Weird, Wild and Wonderful Universe, According to the Internet's Favorite Astronomer

Air & Space Quarterly talks to The Bad Astronomer Phil Plait

Diane Tedeschi | May 31, 2024
A stunning panorama of the Martian desert with a twilight sky. The landscape appears light rust and dull blue and is covered with boulders. A hill can be seen on the right.

For 20 years, Robots Have Inhabited Mars. What Keeps Them Humming?

NASA’s robotic exploration team has proven they have the right stuff

Matthew Shindell | May 24, 2024
Adam Savage poses heroically in his spacesuit, which appears white, bulbous, and dusty despite never going to space. His face, wearing glasses, is illuminated behind the transparent plastic bubble that forms most of the helmet.

Adam Savage's Quest to Build His Own Spacesuit

For the MythBusters star, attention to detail is everything

Adam Savage | May 13, 2024
A small silver pin shows a smiling Snoopy, a cartoon dog, wearing a spacesuit with a large clear glass helmet, performing his iconic happy beagle dance.

The Story of Snoopy in Space

How a cartoon beagle helped popularize NASA’s Apollo program

Dave Kindy | April 20, 2024
A multitude of stars packed together in a dense region of space, shining brightly in the surrounding darkness. A bright blue cloud in the lower half of the image with pitch black patches appearing within the cloud

James Webb Space Telescope Sees Features Astronomers Have Yet to Explain

Astronomers explore an area of space packed with stars—and mysteries

| April 12, 2024
NASM2017-02421 - Copy.jpg

Celebrate the April 8 Solar Eclipse With the National Air and Space Museum

On April 8, 2024, a total solar eclipse will cross North America. For those not within the path of totality, a partial eclipse will be visible from everywhere in the contiguous United States. Learn about the science and safety of eclipses with the National Air and Space Museum.

Amy Stamm | March 28, 2024
The Boeing Aviation Hangar at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center is a vast open space filled with airplanes on both the floor and hanging from the ceiling, tilted at angles that convey the impression of flight.

20 Years of the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center

The National Air and Space Museum’s second location celebrates a milestone anniversary

| February 2, 2024
Peregrine Lunar Lander

This Object Represents a New Approach to Moon Exploration

The Peregrine test model is the first commercial lunar lander in the National Air and Space Museum collection

Mark Strauss | January 22, 2024
Underside view of space shuttle in flight with blue sky background.

Space Shuttle Astronauts Tell All

A new book by NASA astronaut Tom Jones shares intriguing stories about the agency’s longest-running space exploration program

Diane Tedeschi | January 12, 2024
The pitch black night is illuminated by a bright white-hot rocket engine plume, which illuminates clouds of smoke surrounding the launch pad.

How Commercial Landers Are Changing Lunar Exploration

These companies are taking a faster, cheaper approach to landing on the moon

Kellie B. Gormly | January 8, 2024
In this pastel drawing, 14 bluish white rays radiate out and upward from a dark half-moon shape flanked by trees. White stars are visible in the night sky.

These Depictions of Celestial Wonders Helped Make Astronomy Mainstream

Before we had access to stunning photos of our galaxy from ground- and space-based telescopes, visionaries like Étienne Trouvelot's captured celestial magic through their art

Carolyn Russo | December 27, 2023
A20070119001cp02-2.jpg

Barbie: An Astronaut for the Ages

There is perhaps no résumé in existence quite as long as Barbie’s. One of her oldest and arguably most iconic careers is as an astronaut. Let's take a look through some of her most iconic space looks, spanning 1965 to today.

Jenna Bertschi | July 19, 2023
86T0008A_1_0.jpg

Ground Control to Major Tom: How David Bowie Soundtracked the Moon Landing

On July 11, 1969 – only 5 days before Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins, and Buzz Aldrin set out on their journey to the Moon – a relatively unknown British musician named David Bowie released a single titled Space Oddity.

Matthew Shindell | July 11, 2023
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Preserving Launch Infrastructure

Launch vehicles require a vast ground-based support system, which is an important part of the stories told at the National Air and Space Museum. Collecting these objects is challenging due to their size and reuse in subsequent programs.

Colleen E. Anderson | July 10, 2023
Michael Collins, the Museum's third director, stands before the steel skeleton of the new National Air and Space Museum in July 1974.

Carrying the Fire

National Air and Space Museum acting director Christopher U. Browne reflects on the life and legacy of one of his predecessors, Apollo 11 astronaut and former Museum director Michael Collins.

Chris Browne, National Air and Space Museum Acting Director | April 29, 2021
Michael Collins' NASA astronaut portrait.

Remembering Michael Collins

The National Air and Space Museum looks back at the extraordinary life of pilot, astronaut, and statesman Michael Collins, who has died at the age of 90.

Margaret Weitekamp | April 29, 2021
Categories
  • Air and Space History (83)
  • Air and Space Museum (53)
  • Airplanes (33)
  • Astronauts (19)
  • Astronomy (12)
  • Aviation (46)
  • From the Archives (6)
  • Planetary Space (14)
  • Science Fiction (11)
  • Space (52)
  • Women in STEM (9)
  • World War ll History (15)
Archive
  • 2018 (8)
  • 2019 (9)
  • 2020 (44)
  • 2021 (18)
  • 2022 (2)
  • 2023 (7)
  • 2024 (35)
  • 2025 (7)

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