On July 20, 1969, humans walked on the Moon for the first time.We look back at the legacy of our first small steps on the Moon and look forward to the next giant leap.

Although her flight is not considered “official,” this day in history we remember Blanche Stuart Scott, the first American woman to take a solo hop into the air.

We rely on the generous support of donors, sponsors, members, and other benefactors to share the history and impact of aviation and spaceflight, educate the public, and inspire future generations.

The Mercury spacesuit was a close-fitting, two-layer, full pressure suit developed by the B.F. Goodrich Company from their Mark IV pressure suit, as used by the U.S. Navy. It was selected by NASA in ...

May 20, 1932: Amelia Earhart departs Harbour Grace, Newfoundland, in her Lockheed Vega on her solo nonstop flight across the Atlantic. On May 20-21, 1932, Earhart became the first woman—and the only ...

From groundbreaking technologies to creative preservation methods, innovation is at the heart of the National Air and Space Museum’s exhibitions. Join us for an after-hours event at the Museum to: ...

Visit us in Washington, DC and Chantilly, VA to explore hundreds of the world’s most significant objects in aviation and space history. Free timed-entry passes are required for the Museum in DC ...

During the Apollo 11 mission, astronaut Michael Collins did not step foot on the Moon, but the mission would not have been possible without this highly skilled command module pilot Collins spent 27 ...

Cheers to astronomy! With our friends from Astronomy on Tap, the National Air and Space Museum is bringing you an evening of science, education, refreshments, and fun. At this inaugural AirSpace on ...

Visit us in Washington, DC and Chantilly, VA to explore hundreds of the world’s most significant objects in aviation and space history. Free timed-entry passes are required for the Museum in DC. This ...

Not Yet a Moon Shot Before Kennedy’s call to send a man to the Moon, the early years of the Space Race marked successes through headline making “firsts”: the first satellite, the first man in space, ...

After the competitive short-term goals of human spaceflight had been met in the 1960s, many advocates of space exploration envisioned a permanent human presence in space.