Ellen Stofan

Ellen Stofan, formerly the John and Adrienne Mars Director of the National Air and Space Museum, is Under Secretary for Science and Research at the Smithsonian.

In this artist’s concept of a new gallery, One World Connected—scheduled to open next year at the National Air and Space Museum—Planet Earth occupies a central position, just as it does in all planetary exploration.

On Earth Day, We’re All One World

From the Director of the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum

America’s first astronaut Alan Shepard (left) is all smiles during water egress training in 1970 with his Apollo 14 crewmates Stuart Roosa and Ed Mitchell (right). They would fly to the moon the following year.

Alan Shepard's Comeback

His Apollo mission 50 years ago was a vindication for the first American in space.

After decades in development, the Hubble Space Telescope has for 30 years revealed details about stars and galaxies—and merging galaxies, like NGC 4676, known for the two long tails of stars as “The Mice.”

For Scientists, NASA Missions Are Like Generation Ships

It takes years of preparation to produce years of data.

The International Space Station: In 2019, nine residents from four countries hang out with a poster of Yuri Gagarin.

The ISS Has Made Us a Space-Dwelling Species

Celebrating 20 years of continuous human presence in orbit.

In 2015 the Cassini spacecraft transmitted a tantalizing infrared view of Titan’s surface, exposing lakes.

Exploring the Seas and Skies of Titan

From the Director of the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum

In April 1965, engineers install five 1.5-million-pound-thrust F-1 rocket engines on a Saturn V stage for a static test.

The Transforming National Air and Space Museum Hits a Big Milestone, With the First Artifact Installed

The Saturn F-1 rocket engine assumes pride of place.

A new immersive Museum gallery is being designed to give visitors the impression of walking on moons and other planets.

Journeys to Other Worlds

From the Director of the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum

Carrying their parachutes, Women Airforce Service Pilots (left to right) Frances Green, Margaret Kirchner, Ann Waldner, and Blanche Osborn pass a line of Boeing B-17s at a U.S. Army airfield in Columbus, Ohio, where in 1944 they were training to ferry the bombers.

War Stories, New and Old, at the National Air and Space Museum

Revitalization also means commemorating World War II in unfamiliar ways.

The ultimate destination for the lunar and many other solar system samples is the astromaterials laboratory at Houston’s Johnson Space Center, where a technician examines particles of a comet returned in 2006 by NASA’s Stardust mission.

Robot Geologists Will Soon Bring Asteroid Samples Back to Earth

Planetary exploration is becoming a two-way street.

The fastest piloted aircraft ever flown, the North American X-15 will be displayed in one of the new galleries at the National Air and Space Museum.

Celebrating Innovation, From Kitty Hawk to Hypersonic Flight

A new gallery at the National Air and Space Museum will be dedicated to the spirit of invention.

NASA opened U.S. spaceflight to women in 1978. Five of the six women the agency selected that year—(from left) Sally Ride, Judy Resnik, Anna Fisher, Kathy Sullivan, and Rhea Seddon—were all Girl Scouts.

An Early Start in STEM Can Spark a Lifelong Passion

From the Director of the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum

In an artist’s concept of the new How Things Fly gallery, visitors stroll and use interactive displays on a mezzanine.

At the National Air and Space Museum, a New Gallery Is Being Designed To Be Hands On

From the Director of the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum.

Radar imagery from the Cassini spacecraft confirmed in 2006 that methane lakes exist on Titan.

The History of Aviation and Spaceflight is the Story of Explorers

From the Director of the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum

The forward fuselage of the historic B-26 Flak-Bait, currently undergoing restoration.

Got A Story? How About Sharing It?

From the Director of the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum

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From the Director of the National Air and Space Museum

Behind every artifact is a story that begins with an improbable dream.

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