Space & Aviation

Star Trek celebrates 60 years since its NBC debut on September 8, 1966! From legendary props to cultural touchstones, see how objects in the Smithsonian’s collections help tell the story of one of the most influential franchises in TV history.

This helicopter evacuation pod was once used to transport injured patients. Recently, it received extensive conservation treatment ahead of it going on display in a new Museum gallery.

This quiz will test your knowledge of both Star Trek lore and its Museum connections.

The BepiColombo mission, by the European Space Agency and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, is only the third to study our smallest planetary neighbor.

Decades ago, scientists found a hexagon around Saturn’s north pole. Now, recent images reveal a decagon in the planet’s southern hemisphere—and it seems to have recently formed.

The final project of an RIT student, Tristan Liberace, resulted in a novel method to visualize long-duration Chandra observations — and a new view of the many (X-ray) faces of the active galaxy Centaurus A.

Researchers used a novel technique to figure out what’s going on inside the Red Planet. The work suggests that the interior of the southern hemisphere is hundreds of degrees hotter than that of the northern hemisphere and partially molten.