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.
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Astronomers have found that the supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way is blowing a hot cosmic wind — something scientists have been hunting for over 50 years.
The first Navy Flight School graduate to be selected for F-14 Tomcat training, Capt. Dale "Snort" Snodgrass was the Navy's 1985 Fighter Pilot of the Year. The former Top Gun instructor has also logged the most hours as an F-14 Pilot.
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The blue moon will be the second of two full moons in the same month, a coincidence that only takes place about every two and a half years. It will also appear to be slightly smaller and dimmer than the average full moon.
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The first three missions are targeted to launch this year. They’ll involve lunar landers developed by several aerospace companies, including Blue Origin, and deliver scientific instruments and a rover.
The “50 for 50” artifact from Massachusetts is Norman Rockwell’s The Longest Step (Grissom and Young Suiting Up), painted by the famed American painter in his studio in Massachusetts.
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.
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.