Capt. Francis Gary Powers is honored for his contributions to aviation history, including his role as a U-2 pilot during the Cold War.

Enjoy an original story, about Amelia Earhart, Ruth Nichols, and Louise Thaden. They competed to fly the highest, farthest, and fastest.

The Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum welcomes a McDonnell Douglas F-15C Eagle, the first aircraft of its kind to be accessioned into the Smithsonian collection. The F-15C Eagle is one of ...

Before and during World War II, the Civilian Pilot Training Program trained thousands of licensed pilots and increased "airmindedness" nationwide.

Yes! Many other planets and planetary bodies (I mean moons) experience these geological phenomena. In some cases, we have been able to directly measure earthquakes and see volcanoes erupting. We have ...

The National Air and Space Museum's F6F-3 Hellcat, BuNo. 41834, was built at Grumman's Bethpage, New York, factory in February 1944 under contract NOA- (S)846. It was delivered to the Navy on February ...

Pratt & Whitney initiated design and development of the R-2800 Double Wasp, America’s first 18-cylinder radial engine, in 1936. With water injection and turbo-supercharging, the R-2800 produced more ...

The 1909 Wright Military Flyer is the world's first military airplane. In 1908, the U.S. Army Signal Corps sought competitive bids for a two-seat observation aircraft. Winning designs had to meet a ...

Visit us in Washington, DC and Chantilly, VA to explore hundreds of the world’s most significant objects in aviation and space history. Free timed-entry passes are required for the Museum in DC. The ...

The majority of what has been accomplished in space has been carried out by uncrewed robotic craft.

The Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum will open five new galleries, the Lockheed Martin IMAX Theater and the museum’s redesigned entrance on Jefferson Drive along the National Mall Monday, ...

The Mercury spacesuit was a close-fitting, two-layer, full pressure suit developed by the B.F. Goodrich Company from their Mark IV pressure suit, as used by the U.S. Navy. It was selected by NASA in ...