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.

516 results
An artistic rendering of a small spacecraft next to a potato-shaped Martian moon.
The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency’s spacecraft is expected to reach the Martian system in August 2027 and return samples from the moon Phobos to Earth in 2031.
The planet Earth seen from space.
The phenomenon, which involves the geographic poles, is distinct from when the magnetic poles move. The planet’s solid crust and molten mantle occasionally shift and subsequently reorient themselves during what’s called true polar wander.
Adam Savage attempts to identify five mysterious space artifacts from the National Air and Space Museum’s collection.
To celebrate the 60th anniversary of Star Trek, we hosted a live taping of the AirSpace podcast at the Museum all about the history and cultural impact of Trek and its fans.
Astronomers have used NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory to break down the cause of a remarkable formation of radio waves they have nicknamed the “Treble Clef” because its distinct shape strongly resembles the musical symbol.
To commemorate NASA’s Swift mission, Chandra and Swift are releasing four new images.
A grey mountainous landscape.
These crags don’t match the rest of the mountain, and scientists don’t know how they formed.
3-D illustration of an imagined space base on a lunar landscape.
The discovery of water in dark craters at the Moon’s poles has sparked a ‘moon rush’ to establish bases there, and then villages, cities, and heavy industry. How sustainable is this rush?