Amelia Earhart set two of her many aviation records in this bright red Lockheed 5B Vega. In 1932 she flew it alone across the Atlantic Ocean, then flew it nonstop across the United States-both firsts ...

Did you know that Calbraith Perry Rodgers, the first pilot to fly across America was partially deaf? Americans with disabilities like Rodgers have made history flying almost since the airplane was ...

Join Museum staff and members of the Northern Virginia Astronomy Club for a view of the night sky through our telescopes. Stargazing will take place outside in the bus parking lot at the Steven F.

Otto Lilienthal compiled and published a table of coefficients of lift and drag for the airfoil shape he used on his gliders. The table became quite well known and was the starting point for ...

SpaceX uses its Merlin rocket engines to launch spacecraft and crew for itself, NASA, and other customers. Reusable engines, like this one, save costs and help companies compete in the growing global ...

Rocket Lab makes 3D-printed parts for its Rutherford engines in just 24 hours. And battery-powered turbopumps reduce engine weight and the amount of propellant needed. Both innovations cut costs. What ...

An L shaped tubular metal with a wood covered metal hand grip at one end.

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 ...

A pin for Sally Ride Science, a kids focused organization Sally Ride founded.

The DH-4 in the NASM collection was the prototype American-built DH-4, manufactured by the Dayton-Wright Airplane Company. This airplane was used in more than 2,600 experiments until its retirement in ...

Physical Description Cast brass plaque with Early Birds emblem and inscription citing Harvey Crawford.