DiscoverAirSpace
AirSpace
Claim Ownership

AirSpace

Author: National Air and Space Museum

Subscribed: 1,016Played: 15,795
Share

Description

We see the connections to aviation and space in literally everything. From our favorite movies and the songs in our playlists to the latest news of space exploration and your commercial flight home for the holidays – aerospace is literally everywhere you look. Twice a month our hosts riff on some of the coolest stories of aviation and space history, news, and culture. We promise, whether you’re an AVGeek, wannabe Space Camper, or none of the above, you’ll find not only a connection to your life but you’ll learn something interesting in the process.
145 Episodes
Reverse
When the Sun Went Out

When the Sun Went Out

2024-03-1428:55

As we look forward to the upcoming total solar eclipse over North America, AirSpace is looking back in time to a much much older eclipse. In 1142 a total solar eclipse with much the same path as the one coming up April 8. It was also the sign in the sky the Seneca needed to join the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, a representative democracy that would govern six tribes below Lakes Erie and Ontario. Before a 1997 journal article, Western Historians insisted the eclipse that decided the Seneca happened much later in the 15th or 16th century. We talk to one of the authors of the paper about the tradition, evidence, and astronomy behind the more accurate date. Thanks to our guest in this episode: Dr. Barbara Alice Mann, Professor Emerita-University of Toledo Sign up here for the monthly AirSpace newsletter AirSpace is made possible by the generous support of Olay.
Did you know that it takes the Earth 365-ish days to orbit the sun? It’s that ‘ish’ that makes February 29 a thing every four years. We talk to one of the Museum’s astronomy educators to get the low down on Leap Day. Thanks to Astronomy Educator Shauna Brandt Edson for joining Emily for this episode. Sign up here for the monthly AirSpace newsletter AirSpace is made possible by the generous support of Olay.
Afrofuturism is a cultural movement that explores the possibilities of Black futures and pasts and presents through art, literature, music, film and pop culture. And a lot of Afrofuturism has a lot of space in it. Today we're talking about Afrofuturist space and Afronauts and walking through the Afrofuturism exhibit by our friends at the National Museum of African American History and Culture. Thanks to our guests in this episode: Dr. Kevin Strait, Curator National Museum of African American History and Culture Tim Fielder, Author and Artists Matty’s Rocket Sign up here for the monthly AirSpace newsletter AirSpace is made possible by the generous support of Olay.
Love at First Flight

Love at First Flight

2024-02-0827:04

Hollywood is in love with airports and airplanes and we are too! How many rom-coms can you name where the meet cute, the almost meet, the epic chase or the long distance relationships happens thanks to a terminal or twist of fate seat assignment? We can name at least six. And if we missed your favorite, drop us a comment on Instagram or Twitter! Thanks to our guest in this episode: Scott Meslow, Author From Hollywood with Love: The Rise and Fall and Rise Again of the Romantic Comedy Sign up here for the monthly AirSpace newsletter AirSpace is made possible by the generous support of Olay.
From when it started in 1981, MTV used an iconic neon scribbled astronaut as its channel ID for years. And even today the award you get when you win a VMA is a statuette of an Apollo era astronaut, but why is MTV obsessed with the Moonman? And why do we have two of those statuettes in our collection? We're digging into the history of cable's giant leap, today on AirSpace Thanks to our guest in this episode: Dr. Margaret Weitekamp, National Air and Space Museum Space History Chair Sign up here for the monthly AirSpace newsletter AirSpace is made possible by the generous support of Olay.
Eye from Above

Eye from Above

2024-01-1138:13

Hurricanes are a fact of life in the Caribbean but in 2017, the season was so bad that it changed everything for the people of Puerto Rico. Only two weeks after another major hurricane, Maria barreled into the island bringing more than 200 mile per hour winds, rain and flooding. In the aftermath, the Coast Guard with their helicopters are crucial to search and rescue, aid drops and surveying damage. We spoke to two Coast Guard members, as well as one of our own colleagues, about what the hurricane was like, and what happened after. We’re joined by Vanessa Parés, Digitization Coordinator NASM Thanks to our guests for this episode: Captain Ed Aponte, U.S. Coast Guard Avionics Technician First Class Mari DeLong, U.S. Coast Guard Sign up here for the monthly AirSpace newsletter AirSpace is made possible by the generous support of Olay.
31,500 Miles

31,500 Miles

2023-12-2821:50

In January 1942 a B-314 flying boat operated by Pan American World Airways landed in New York after making arguably the first around the world flight by a commercial airliner. But when they set out from San Francisco in 1941, they never intended to hold that record. Trapped in the Pacific by the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Captain Bob Ford and his crew were forced to return home flying west. It took them more than a month and several tight spots to get their important aircraft back to the U.S. Thanks to our guest in this episode: Ed Dover, former Pan Am Radio Operator and Author of The Long Way Home: A Journey into History with Captain Robert Ford Sign up here for the monthly AirSpace newsletter AirSpace is made possible by the generous support of Olay.
In a lot of political and financial circles space exploration is often talked about in terms of human space exploration VERSUS robotic space travel. But most scientists and engineers who work on space missions think this question is better answered with a yes, and. We're diving into the pros, cons and uses of both human and robotic space exploration today on AirSpace. We’re joined by Dr Erica Jawin, Postdoctoral Research Geologist at NASM’s Center for Planetary Studies Thanks to our guests for this episode: Dr Brett Denevi, Geology Lead Artemis III, Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Lab Bobak Ferdowsi, Systems Engineer on Robotic Space Missions Sign up here for the monthly AirSpace newsletter AirSpace is made possible by the generous support of Olay.
Today is a very special day, parade day of course! The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade has been a holiday staple for almost 100 years, and the balloons have been a part of it for nearly as long. We got the download on these helium-filled works of art that aren't all that different from the hot-air cousins. Thanks to our guest on this episode: Kathleen Wright, Director of Production Operation at Macy’s Parade Studios Sign up here for the monthly AirSpace newsletter AirSpace is made possible by the generous support of Olay.
Space is dangerous. And as long as we've been sending people into space, we've also been thinking about what we can do to make sure they're prepared for it, and make sure they will come home again. The main way that manifests is in training astronauts before they go up, and contingency planning on how to rescue them if something goes awry. We’re joined by Dr. Emily A. Margolis, Curator of Contemporary Spaceflight. Thanks to our guests on this episode: Major Nick Barwikowski, Commander, Army SERE School Chief Warrant Officer, Retired Mike Christanson, Head Instructor, Army SERE School Grant Cates, Senior Project Manager at The Aerospace Corporation Sign up here for the monthly AirSpace newsletter AirSpace is made possible by the generous support of Olay.
End of an Air-a

End of an Air-a

2023-10-2620:33

When the Boeing 747 first came out it revolutionized the already revolutionary Jet Age. Able to carry more than twice as many passengers as it's predecessors, the 747 was initally designed for cargo. Boeing thought it would be quickly outstripped by the U.S.'s SST. But when the 'American Concorde' was scrapped in favor of breathable air and no sonic booms over major cities (see our episode Boom, Clap for deets), the 747 became the plane of choice for high passenger load routes. Now that Boeing's retired her, we're looking back on the more than 50 year history of the original Jumbo Jet. Thanks to our guest on this episode: Michael Lombardi, Boeing Historian Sign up here for the monthly AirSpace newsletter AirSpace is made possible by the generous support of Olay.
Europa Clipper is soon to be on its was to the outer solar system to study one of Jupiter's most interesting moons. In addition to the really awesome science it will do ('sniffing' gases with a mass spectrometer to find out what they're made of?!? How cool is that??), the spacecraft will carry a "message in a bottle" etched with your names and a poem by U.S. Poet Laureate Ada Limón. Icy moons, science, and poetry, all our favorite things! Thanks to our guest on this episode: Dr. Bob Pappalardo, JPL, Project Scientist-Europa Clipper Sign up here for the monthly AirSpace newsletter AirSpace is made possible by the generous support of Olay.
Dancing on the Ceiling

Dancing on the Ceiling

2023-09-2833:19

AirSpace is looking up! (We know, we know, we're usually looking up what with the air and the space-ness of our podcast) But today we're exploring how we hang really big, priceless artifacts from the ceiling in the museum. We asked two friends whose jobs are to do just that to talk to us about just what it takes to put airliners, spacecraft, X-wings and more up on the ceiling. Thanks to our guests on this episode: Tony Carp, Museum Specialist, National Air and Space Museum Hannah O’Toole, Exhibit Designer, National Air and Space Museum Sign up here for the monthly AirSpace newsletter AirSpace is made possible by the generous support of Olay.
When Barbie first became an astronaut in 1965, she was more than a decade ahead of NASA sending a woman to space. Since then, there have been several versions of astronaut Barbie — from a spangly 80s doll to one who had a jumpsuit just like the one they give you at Space Camp. Today, astronaut Barbie actually went to the International Space Station! And she's joined by a collection of dolls that represent actual people who really contributed to space science like Sally Ride and Katherine Johnson. We're talking about all those versions of Barbie today on AirSpace. (Follow along with pictures of all of these dolls on our Instagram.) Sign up here for the monthly AirSpace newsletter AirSpace is made possible by the generous support of Olay.
Mars!

Mars!

2023-05-1121:20

From Dante to Matt Damon, Percival Lowell to Perseverance, humans have long wondered about, studied, and eventually explored our closest planetary neighbor, Mars. In celebration of Matt's new book "For the Love of Mars: A Human History of the Red Planet," we're taking you through how humans have shown Mars in stories, movies, and art through the centuries. Sign up here for the monthly AirSpace newsletter AirSpace is made possible by the generous support of Olay.
One Small Stop in Ohio

One Small Stop in Ohio

2023-04-2719:59

In 1969, nearly 600 million people tuned in to watch the Apollo 11 Moon landing. Four of these rapt viewers were a family of Indian immigrants in Delaware. Four months later that family was driving through Ohio and decided to stop and knock on Neil Armstrong’s parent's door — because why not? This story, as told in the short film One Small Visit, has been making the rounds at film festivals and screenings around the world. Matt and Emily talk to the woman whose family knocked on that door and her friend who turned it into a film. Sign up here for the monthly AirSpace newsletter AirSpace is made possible by the generous support of Olay.
Imagine this: It’s 1936 and you’re taking a luxurious three day flight from Germany to the United States in the Hindenburg. But instead of landing in New Jersey as expected, you dock to the top of the tallest building in the world: the Empire State Building. This didn’t actual happen — turns out that’s a logistical and safety impossibility — but that didn’t stop the builders of the Empire State Building from using the potential of a mooring mast to advertise the building. After all, they had to really stick it to the Chrysler Building. Matt and Emily are joined by the Museum’s lighter-than-air flight curator to talk about airships, Zeppelins, mooring masts, and, a first for us, architecture! Sign up here for the monthly AirSpace newsletter AirSpace is made possible by the generous support of Olay.
Flying Circus

Flying Circus

2023-03-2319:40

Welcome to Animal Air! We invite all passengers to waddle, trot, sashay or mince aboard the aircraft as we prepare for takeoff. Make sure all tails and tail feathers are out of the aisle and remain inside the aircraft at all times. A duck in a hot air balloon. A cat in an airship. A lion cub in an airplane. Our animal companions have been up in human created aircraft even longer that we have. Since these stories do great on social media, we brought in our social media manager to help us tell five stories of animals taking flight. Sign up here for the monthly AirSpace newsletter! AirSpace is made possible by the generous support of Olay.
Satellite Hart

Satellite Hart

2023-03-0936:05

Thanks to GPS, ecologists today can track thousands of animals all the time with tracking devices that can be smaller than a quarter. But in 1970 there was just a weather satellite, a 23 pound collar, and an elk named Monique. Between spooky elk herds, inconsistent darts, a rowdy press gaggle, angry letters, an upside-down collar, and a couple of upsetting deaths, Monique’s tracking didn’t exactly go off without a hitch. Back then scientists really didn’t know where animals went, and tracking them on the ground, even with radio, was arduous and provided incomplete data. So even if it wasn’t perfect Monique’s tracking was a huge breakthrough. Today, ecologists like the ones at Smithsonian’s Movement of Life Initiative and the ICARUS project track animals from pole to pole and from the tops of mountains to deep under the sea. Insights from these trackers help with habitat conservation and breeding but might also be able to predict the next pandemic. On this episode of AirSpace, we talk to some of the scientists who use space to track animals here on Earth. Sign up here for the monthly AirSpace newsletter! AirSpace is made possible by the generous support of Olay.
Drops From Jupiter

Drops From Jupiter

2023-02-2317:23

The Juno spacecraft currently orbiting Jupiter almost didn’t have a camera, and boy would that have been a shame. Any time you launch something into space, weight is money. And when Juno was proposed and funded, a visible light camera wasn’t really needed to meet the mission’s science goals. But, thanks to the insistence of adamant Juno team members, Juno got JunoCam. And we’re so glad it did. On this episode of AirSpace, we unpack how JunoCam has contributed to science and completely changed the way we view this beautiful gas giant. Sign up here for the monthly AirSpace newsletter! AirSpace is made possible by the generous support of Olay.
loading
Comments (1)

Elizabeth McKinney

what a great episode!

Dec 9th
Reply
Download from Google Play
Download from App Store