National Air and Space MuseumCompte verificat

Gus Grissom was born on this day in 1926. One of the original seven Mercury astronauts, Grissom was the second American in space.pic.twitter.com/nvDMJofr73

There's something about this letterhead, which reads plainly "Baseball" at the top, that we just love. This letter was written by Landis, during his time as Commissioner of Baseball, to a fellow "balloonatic" in Cooperstown.pic.twitter.com/EZtgbwA2r0

"Open the pod bay doors, HAL." Recent advances in voice-recognition and artificial intelligence make HAL, the on-board computer from 2001: A Space Odyssey, quite relevant to the 21st century. Read more on our blog: https://s.si.edu/2EGsIyc pic.twitter.com/3BORuGIsDY

We mourn the loss of pioneering balloonist Julian Nott. Nott's long and extraordinary career, during which he set 79 world ballooning records, was characterized by a foundation of brilliant technical innovation. We reflect on his life and legacy: https://s.si.edu/2UsAMP2 pic.twitter.com/7dX9zn7qmQ

Should have referred to this as a wheel, not a tire (lunar vehicles ≠ Earth vehicles). Is the word "tire" universal enough to refer to the outer part of any wheel? While we ponder, enjoy another picture of the LRV wheel. #AirSpacePhotopic.twitter.com/JRfoRv2chb

Sometimes we actually do have to reinvent the wheel. The lunar roving vehicle tires used zinc-coated piano wire with titanium treads riveted in a chevron pattern to prevent the tires from sinking in the soft lunar soil: https://s.si.edu/2FSLrus  #AirSpacePhoto #Apollo50pic.twitter.com/qDHgPkKpi6

On this day in 1968, "2001: A Space Odyssey" premiered at the Uptown Theater in Washington, DC. The film was directed by Stanley Kubrick and based on a story by Arthur C. Clarke (pictured here in May 1968). More on the lasting legacy of the film: https://s.si.edu/2FSSZgL pic.twitter.com/TL36wVImzR

What's in a name? Curiosity, Opportunity, Sojourner: In the latest #AirSpacePodcast episode, we explore how rover names are selected and discuss the recently-announced name of @ESA's upcoming Mars rover: Rosalind Franklin. : https://s.si.edu/2HJLT03 pic.twitter.com/I9AhrJTB1E

Our @YurisNight event with @BYT is only 10 days away! Join us for an after-hours celebration of humanity’s past, present, and future in space at "Space Oddity: Ground Control to Major Party." Tickets: https://s.si.edu/2I6dtnG  #Apollo50pic.twitter.com/9rIilONftJ

Wonder Woman’s invisible jet made a repeat appearance at Innovations in Flight 2017. We don’t know if it will be available for this year’s event, but plenty of other aircraft will be flying in for one day only on June 15. Full details: https://s.si.edu/2H5YRkU pic.twitter.com/ssMUhWpRAV

We have a few aircraft in @RoyalAirForce markings in our collection, including a Hawker Hurricane and Westland Lysander. They are both on display at our Udvar-Hazy Center in Virginia. Hurricane: https://s.si.edu/2I0zG6F  Lysander: https://s.si.edu/2I0zkgl pic.twitter.com/XRFzFWFxuM

80 years ago, the prototype for the Mitsubishi A6M5 Reisen (Zero Fighter) made its debut flight. The Zero was the symbol of Japanese air power during World War II, and Mitsubishi and Nakajima built more than 10,000 during the war: https://s.si.edu/2NBYDWn  #AirSpacePhotopic.twitter.com/exHBNKtfNP

65 years ago today, President Eisenhower signed into law a bill creating the U.S. Air Force Academy. This embroidered @AF_Academy insignia is in our collection.pic.twitter.com/jwz3WjgVc0

Want to take your #StarTrek knowledge to the next level? Join @SmithsonianX for a free self-guided course exploring Star Trek's influence on our culture and technology (featuring curator @mgtwspace and objects from our collection!) Learn more: https://s.si.edu/2I59nMI pic.twitter.com/B6M3uev82w

On this day in 1918, Britain's @RoyalAirForce was established. The RAF is the oldest independent air force in the world.pic.twitter.com/i87X7l7O2i

On this day four years ago, Wonder Woman's invisible jet visited the Museum for one day only. More on how this historic display happened: https://s.si.edu/2HS0BSV  #AprilFoolsDaypic.twitter.com/9JO08PFRiL

For museum specialist Stephanie Stewart, moving Jackie Cochran's T-38 was special because of Cochran's advocacy for female pilots and because 3 of the 4 move team members were women. Here's how they did it: https://s.si.edu/2Wwc3GO  #BecauseOfHerStory #WomensHistoryMonthpic.twitter.com/20YvYXqfn6

Long before satellites would journey to planets and deep-space telescopes would photograph distant galaxies, Chesley Bonestell's dazzling visions of space would capture the imagination of all who beheld them. Explore his legacy April 2 in @SmithsonianIMAX: http://s.si.edu/2Fe0C0R pic.twitter.com/U4oDm1bvc4

When @KarlieKloss interviewed our director @EllenStofan on @TODAYshow, you got a peek at Ellen's photo wall celebrating inspiring women in aviation and space. Now take a closer look on our blog: https://s.si.edu/2FAA1v0  #WomensHistoryMonth #BecauseOfHerStorypic.twitter.com/6LQ0bHHsRM

Astronaut Ellen Ochoa was the first Hispanic woman to go to space. She flew on four spaceflights and later became the director of Johnson Space Center. Learn more about @Astro_Ellen's inspiring career: https://s.si.edu/2J2MRB3  #BecauseOfHerStory #WomensHistoryMonthpic.twitter.com/qCPXRPOuta