AirSpace

National Air and Space Museum

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 a connection to your life and learn something interesting in the process.

  1. Oct 22

    The Ballad of Willie Watkins

    Operation Mincemeat is a hit Broadway musical, and it's based on a remarkable true mission that saved hundreds of lives and helped win World War II. This musical has everything you could want in a screwball comedy: spies, dead bodies, big personalities, romance, double-crossing, and an American pilot who crash-lands into the story at the worst possible moment. In this episode, we talk with Natasha Hodgson, Mincemeat co-creator and performer, and Broadway cast member Jeff Kready about the inspiration for the musical and how they brought these larger-than-life characters to the stage (all 87 of them!). We’re also joined by military aviation expert Dr. Roger Connor to dig deeper into the story of William Watkins (called Willie in the musical), the American pilot who almost blew the whole operation.  Thanks to our guests in this episode: - Natasha Hodgson, co-creator and performer, Operation Mincemeat - Jeff Kready, performer, Operation Mincemeat - Dr. Roger Connor, Aeronautics Curator, National Air and Space Museum For the episode transcript and more information, visit https://airandspace.si.edu/airspace-podcast/operation-mincemeat. Subscribe to our monthly newsletter at https://s.si.edu/airspacenewsletter.  AirSpace is created by the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum.

    The Ballad of Willie Watkins

  2. Oct 8

    Star Trek at 60: AirSpace Live!

    Star Trek: The Original Series only aired for three seasons (1966 to 1969), but it launched a fanbase that transformed pop culture. Trek fans pioneered letter-writing campaigns, cosplay, and modern fan conventions. They reshaped the franchise, fan culture, and even real science on Planet Earth.  To celebrate the 60th anniversary of Star Trek, we hosted a live taping of AirSpace at the Museum all about the history and cultural impact of Trek and its fans. Matt and Emily were joined on stage by Museum curator and Trek expert Dr. Margaret Weitekamp and a very special guest: actor Jonathan Del Arco, who played Hugh the Borg on Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Picard.  In this episode, we talk about Trek and its fans from the early days to today, including some personal Trek connections shared with us by fans who came to see the show. We discuss how (and why) we interpret Trek at the Museum and the Trek objects in our collection--including Leonard Nimoy’s prosthetic Spock ear tips, our many tribbles, and the 11-foot studio model of the Starship Enterprise from The Original Series (whose display case just got a major glow-up).  Jonathan also shared how he got cast on The Next Generation and what it was like to come back for Picard, and told us what it’s like to be on the other side of the table at fan conventions (and about the first time he met Nichelle Nichols--at a hotel ice machine!). Thanks to our guests in this episode: Jonathan Del Arco, actor and activist Margaret Weitekamp, curator and chair of Space History, National Air and Space Museum For the episode transcript and more information, visit https://airandspace.si.edu/airspace-podcast/trek-60-live.  Subscribe to our monthly newsletter at https://s.si.edu/airspacenewsletter.  Further links: Starship Enterprise Studio Model: https://airandspace.si.edu/collection-objects/model-starship-enterprise-television-show-star-trek/nasm_A19740668000  Leonard Nimoy's Spock ear tips: https://airandspace.si.edu/collection-objects/ear-tips-spock-leonard-nimoy-star-trek/nasm_A20220161000 Tribbles (assorted): https://airandspace.si.edu/explore/collections/search?edan_q=tribble  AirSpace is created by the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum.

    Star Trek at 60: AirSpace Live!

  3. Sep 24

    AirSpace Bonus! Escape this Podcast: Star Search

    We’ll be back with new AirSpace episodes on October 8th. In the meantime, here’s something a little different. AirSpace co-hosts Matt and Emily recently guest-starred on Escape This Podcast, where they played through a custom audio escape room. Listen to find out if a geologist and a museum curator have what it takes to escape a spacecraft filled with an unusual amount of puzzles… Speaking of escape rooms: keep an eye on the National Air and Space Museum’s event page for more info on our very own escape room program at the Museum this December. We’ll have more to say on that soon, but we’re cooking up something really fun! Special thanks to Dani Siller and Bill Sunderland at Consume This Media for collaborating with us on this episode and designing an out-of-this world story for our crew. To view the images discussed in this episode, use this link: https://www.consumethismedia.com/s19airspace.  Find the transcript of this episode and more information at https://airandspace.si.edu/airspace-podcast/escape-bonus. Subscribe to our monthly newsletter at https://s.si.edu/airspacenewsletter. AirSpace is created by the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum.

  4. Sep 10

    AirSpace Revisited: Me and the Sky

    In honor of the 25th anniversary of the September 11th attacks, we're looking back on our 2020 episode about the Broadway musical Come From Away. If you’re a Broadway fan, you’ve likely heard about Come From Away—the Tony-award-winning smash-hit musical with a story firmly rooted in generations of aviation history. On September 11, 2001, 38 commercial airliners were diverted out of US air space to a small town with a big airport called Gander, Newfoundland. Come From Away puts a spotlight on Beverley Bass, American Airlines’ first woman Captain who commanded one of the aircraft. Our hosts sit down with Beverley to hear the story of her incredible career firsthand, and with Come from Away’s writers, Irene Sankoff and David Hein, to learn how they were inspired to write an entire musical about the biggest aviation hub you’ve likely never heard of. Early aviation history, pioneering pilots, and one community’s story of unity on a day of infamy—there’s a lot going on in this episode (but still no intermission). Thanks to our guests in this episode: Beverley Bass Irene Sankoff David Hein Find the transcript for this episode and more information at https://airandspace.si.edu/airspace-podcast/Me-and-the-Sky-Revisited.  Subscribe to our monthly newsletter at https://s.si.edu/airspacenewsletter.  AirSpace is created by the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum.

    AirSpace Revisited: Me and the Sky

  5. Aug 27

    AirSpace Revisited: Art Decade

    The National Air and Space Museum's newly renovated building in Washington D.C. includes a beautiful new art gallery to showcase the museum's extensive collection of art, much of which came from the NASA Art Program. This week, we're revisiting a classic AirSpace episode all about that program and its connection to the Museum.  The NASA Art Program was organized beginning in the 1960s, where a small number of American artists got tons of access to launch sites, clean rooms, space suits, spacecraft—you name it, they painted it. The result was thousands of works that represented some (but not all, not by a long shot) of the most important art ever inspired by space exploration. In this episode, we sketch out the origin story of a space agency art’s program, explain where our museum enters the picture, and explore works within and beyond the NASA art scene. Thanks to our guests in this episode, artists Jamie Wyeth and E.V. Day.  Find the transcript for this episode and more information at https://airandspace.si.edu/airspace-podcast/Art-Decade-Revisited. Subscribe to our monthly newsletter at https://s.si.edu/airspacenewsletter.

    AirSpace Revisited: Art Decade

  6. Aug 20

    50 Years: Onward and Upward

    If you haven’t been to the National Air and Space Museum in D.C. for a while, you may notice a few things have changed…actually, just about everything in the building, including the building itself, has been completely overhauled. What started as some exterior renovation more than a decade ago became a complete reimagining of our iconic museum. Every exhibit space has been redesigned with 40% more artifacts on display than before.  In the fourth and final episode of our limited series “50 Years of Air + Space,” we discuss the history, intentions, and process of this project we call Transformation, and preview the exciting things in store for the decades ahead. Special thanks to our guests in this episode (in order of appearance): Dr. Mike Neufeld, Retired Curator and Smithsonian Historian Beatrice Mowry, Exhibits Design Chair, National Air and Space Museum Chris Browne, John and Adrienne Mars Director at the National Air and Space Museum Dr. Lonnie Bunch, Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution Lisa Young, Supervisory Objects Conservator, National Air and Space Museum Dr. Tina Menendez, Director of the Bezos Learning Center at the National Air and Space Museum Find the transcript of this episode and more information at https://s.si.edu/50YearsE4. Subscribe to our monthly newsletter at https://s.si.edu/airspacenewsletter. AirSpace is made possible through the generous support of Lockheed Martin.

    50 Years: Onward and Upward

  7. Jul 23

    50 Years: New Ideas

    As the National Air and Space Museum built its collection and its identity, it also needed to find its footing as a place for science and research. In the third episode of our four-part limited series “50 Years of Air + Space,” we’re exploring the history of scholarship at the Museum. We’ll dive into early debates over what type of research this new Museum would do and what type of academics would be a part of the team. We also hear the stories of how we came to host the Center for Earth and Planetary Studies, and how the study of the history and culture of aerospace became core to our mission. Thanks to our guests in this episode: Dr. Ted Maxwell, Retired Chair of CEPS Dr. Mike Neufeld, Retired Curator and Smithsonian Historian Dr. Cathleen Lewis, Curator Dr. Tom Crouch, Curator Emeritus and Smithsonian Historian Find the transcript for this episode and more information at https://s.si.edu/50YearsEp3Subscribe to our monthly newsletter at https://s.si.edu/airspacenewsletter.AirSpace is made possible with the generous support of Lockheed Martin.

    50 Years: New Ideas

  8. Jul 9

    50 Years: Origins

    The National Air and Space Museum’s building in downtown Washington DC just turned 50 years old, but the Museum’s story began long before the ribbon-cutting in 1976. In this episode, we’re continuing our four-part limited series “50 Years of Air + Space” by going back in time for the Museum’s origin story. We’ll explore early aerospace connections and artifacts at the Smithsonian and the interesting places they were displayed before a permanent home came together. We’ll also learn when and why “and Space” was added to our name, how competing visions of the Museum shaped what it became, and who worked to help bring it into reality.  Thanks to our guests in this episode: Dr. Mike Neufeld, Emeritus Curator and Smithsonian Historian Dr. Jieun Shin, Professor and Researcher, Sejong University Dr. Tom Crouch, Emeritus Curator Find the transcript for this episode and more information at https://s.si.edu/50YearsEp2.Subscribe to our monthly newsletter at https://s.si.edu/airspacenewsletter.AirSpace is made possible with the generous support of Lockheed Martin.

    50 Years: Origins
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About

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 a connection to your life and learn something interesting in the process.

Information

  • Creator
    National Air and Space Museum
  • Years Active
    2017 - 2026
  • Episodes
    209
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Show Website
    AirSpace

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