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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The Viking project became my introduction to how spacecraft data are crucial for scientists to understand the geologic history of other planets and moons.
The scrapbook I kept about the Viking mission and everything related to space exploration is here with me now in my office at the National Air and Space Museum.
It has been 50 years since the landing of Viking 1 on Mars. On July 20, 1976, Viking 1 touched down on the Red Planet, and became the first robotic spacecraft to successfully carry out a scientific mission on the Martian surface.
In summer 2026, NASA will commemorate the 50th anniversary of one of the most consequential milestones in planetary exploration: the arrival of the Viking 1 and Viking 2 landers on the surface of Mars.
In the "TEXTRON How Things Fly" exhibition, nearly 50 interactives work together with featured artifacts to communicate the idea that the forces of lift, weight, drag, and thrust guide the design and function of everything that flies.
A Blue Origin New Shepard rocket just went on display in our new "RTX Living in the Space Age” exhibition! Check out this behind-the-scenes look at how we installed the 50-foot-tall and nearly 36-ton rocket.
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The Hillsborough meteorite belongs to a rare class of rocks from space, according to a new study. It holds amino acids and other organic compounds, as well as evidence of salty water.
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The gas giant, called Beta Pictoris d, had been hiding in plain sight for more than a decade, until two independent teams verified its existence.