Space & Aviation

Explore Space & Aviation across the Smithsonian through stories, events, and exhibitions. Use the filters to browse by format, then bookmark events and exhibitions to keep track of what you want to visit or attend.

377 results
The “50 for 50” artifact from California is the Ingenuity Mars Helicopter prototype! This aerial prototype was used in tests at NASA's JPL near Pasadena, California, to demonstrate that flight in a simulated Mars environment was possible.
The “50 for 50” artifact from New York is the Apollo Lunar Module, made by Grumman in Bethpage, New York! Shuttle astronaut and Long Island native Mike Massimino reflects on how the Lunar Module inspired him to dream of space.
Person sleeping upright in a white bag in a space station, with a “zzz...” thought bubble and pink AirSpace logo.
How do people sleep in space? We talk to former astronaut Mike Massimino about his Space Shuttle slumber party experience and the unique challenges of catching Zs in zero-G. This episode originally aired in 2022.
Mars appears as a crescent pointed up, like a smile.
The Psyche mission, on its way to study an asteroid of the same name, approached within 2,864 miles of the red planet on May 15.
Cosmic Pitch invites players, fans, and explorers alike to see how every match on Earth reflects the science of the skies. Let’s connect to the Universe: one kick, one curve, or one collision at a time.
Image of an entirely blue planet.
A study suggests that the ice giant’s largest moon, Triton, made a dramatic entrance to the Neptunian system long ago, kicking Nereid outward and destroying the planet’s other original lunar companions.
Close-up combined views from different NASA solar cameras that each see different temperatures of hot gas (shown in cyan, yellow, and red) of a failed solar eruption from data collected in March 2024. The panels show the same eruption from different angles, as seen on the Sun’s face by the Solar Orbiter spacecraft.
A team of scientists has recorded one of the most detailed views ever of a failed solar eruption, a powerful blast from the Sun that never broke free.
Aerial view of Olympus Mons on Mars, displaying a massive volcanic structure with a wide, circular caldera at the summit. The surrounding Martian terrain appears barren and dust-covered, blending into the reddish-brown color of the volcano.
Blue sunsets, whirling dust devils, giant volcanoes, tiny moons, and marsquakes—there’s a lot to discover on Mars!