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
In 1955, Jean Ross Howard Phelan gathered every woman helicopter pilot she could find to form an international organization. Today on AirSpace, a helicopter history lesson and the story of the Whirly-Girls.
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The microbe was gathered from the agency’s clean rooms, where experts build spacecraft in carefully controlled environments. The findings reveal gaps in the agency’s procedures to prevent durable hitchhikers.
Learn about another elite zero-gravity indicator with the National Air and Space Museum!
The galaxy cluster Abell 2029 has sometimes been described as “the most relaxed cluster in the Universe.” This moniker does not arise from some sort of mellow vibe, but rather because of how calm and undisturbed the superheated gas appeared to be.
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Astronomers have made the first direct detection of turbulence distorting light in the interstellar medium. The findings will help scientists achieve clearer imaging of the supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way Galaxy.
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Although the mission’s four astronauts sent a few photos to Earth while in space, most needed to be delivered via physical memory cards once they returned to the planet.
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Airborne plastic particles, particularly colorful ones, absorb more sunlight than they reflect, which can heat the surrounding air, according to a new study.
The galaxy cluster Abell 2029 is sometimes described as “the most relaxed cluster in the Universe.” The Chandra data reveal clear signs that this cluster did not have a mundane history.