Attraction

Entering Saturn’s orbit in 2004, the Cassini orbiter has returned years of insights on this scientifically rich planetary system. On September 15, 2017, its mission will end and the spacecraft will be sent plunging into Saturn. Carolyn Porco, principal investigator for the Cassini imaging system, will present a retrospective look at what we have learned […]

On this week's Ask an Expert on Facebook Live, space history curator Cathleen Lewis will talk about Yuri Gagarin, the first human to journey into space. He completed an orbit of the Earth in his Vostok spacecraft on April 12, 1961. Tune in on our Facebook page.

Celebrate Yuri’s Night at the National Air and Space Museum as we explore the one true pairing—SPACE and BEER. Hear about how Ninkasi Brewing Company sent brewer's yeast to space on a rocket, learn about human spaceflight from museum curator Cathy Lewis, and test your knowledge with space and beer themed trivia. Tickets cost $45 […]

Each year, Earth Day marks the anniversary of the birth of the modern environmental movement in 1970. In this week's Ask an Expert Live, Space History curator Martin Collins remembers 1970 and the first “Earth Day.” Tune in on our Facebook page. Image credit: NASA

Link to live webcast: http://s.si.edu/2oPvyg1 The Juno orbiter’s mission is to understand the origin and evolution of gigantic Jupiter. As it orbits the planet, Juno will explore the composition and structure of Jupiter’s dynamic atmosphere, the nature of its deepest core, and the characteristics of its magnetosphere and bright auroras. Scott Bolton, the principal investigator […]

The recent suggestion of evidence of a massive ninth planet in the outer solar system has set off a worldwide search to find this latest member of our planetary family. Mike Brown, professor of planetary astronomy at California Institute of Technology and discoverer of several Kuiper Belt objects, will explore the evidence of Planet Nine […]

In this week's Ask an Expert on Facebook Live, Teasel Muir-Harmony will discuss the the engineering challenges and controversial politics behind lunar flag raising, including the technical constraints of “flying” a flag in an environment without an atmosphere and the fierce debate over which flag to raise on the Moon: the United Nations flag or […]

*Due to unforeseen circumstances, this lecture has been postponed and will be rescheduled for a later date. We apologize for any inconvenience.* Those who design planes together, stay together. That’s […]

It took over a thousand physicists to build a telescope capable of detecting vibrations in space and time coming from the merger of two black holes. Rainer Weiss, a co-founder […]