AirSpace

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The Future is Here Jun 12, 2025

Show notes

If you've been to visit us on the National Mall in the last several years you may have noticed that we've been under construction. Which is very exciting! But even more exciting is some of that construction is done! On July 28, we're welcoming visitors into five brand new galleries. But you, lovely AirSpace listener, get a little bit of a sneak peek. A behind the scenes look at Futures in Space, one of the new galleries with two of its curators — including AirSpace host Matt Shindell.

Thanks to our Guest in this episode:

Dr. Emily Margolis, Curator- National Air and Space Museum

Find the transcript at s.si.edu/airspaces10e11

AirSpace is created by the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum with generous support from Lockheed Martin.

The Irrepressible Pancho Barnes May 22, 2025

Show notes

Pancho Barnes was larger than life. Born at the turn of the century, she spent the next 75 years defying every societal norm she found stuffy, boring or just plain stupid. She rode horses and then flew planes in the movies. She raced airplanes and briefly held the women's airspeed record. She owned a notorious inn/restaurant/club/hotel/airport in the desert near what would become Edwards Air Force Base. The Happy Bottom Riding Club was populated by Pancho, her personality and famous people from Roy Rogers to Chuck Yeager. We're exploring all the excitement that was the life of Pancho Barnes.

Thanks to our guest in this episode:

Lauren Kessler- Author, The Happy Bottom Riding Club: The Life and Times of Pancho Barnes

Find the transcript at here.

AirSpace is created by the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum with generous support from Lockheed Martin.

AirSpace x Sidedoor: Space Jamz May 08, 2025

Show notes

If you were curating a mixtape that might be heard by aliens billions of years from now, but definitely would be seen by your fellow Earthlings, what would you put on it?

In 1977, two Voyager spacecraft launched from Cape Canaveral on a journey that would take them out to our outer solar system and beyond. Affixed to the side of these two planetary explorers was the Voyager Golden Record. This ultimate mixtape of humanity contained 27 pieces of music and also pictures, greetings in many languages, and the sounds of Earth. Nearly 50 years later, we're exploring what's on the record, how it got made, and its legacy with one of it's makers. Oh! and we brought in our friends from Sidedoor to help :)

Thanks to our guests in this episode:

Ann Druyan - Voyager Golden Record Creative Director
Lawrence Azerrad - Co-founder of Macroscopic

Find the transcript here.

AirSpace is created by the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum with generous support from Lockheed Martin.

Bats! Apr 24, 2025

Show notes

Bats are the only mammals that truly fly. And the way they do it is very different from other flying things. The way they fly has only recently been understood and there are still questions. Scientist and engineers are trying to use what they do know to create bat-inspired flying machines, but things like bats self-cambering stretching wings skin, skeleton muscles and tiny hair sensors are proving difficult to replicate.

Thanks to our guests in this episode:

Dr. Sharon Swartz-Brown University
Dr. Nancy Simmons-American Museum of Natural History

Find the transcript here.

AirSpace is created by the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum with generous support from Lockheed Martin.

Scoop There It Is Apr 10, 2025

Show notes

There are a lot of different aircraft that fight wildfires, from Host Matt's favorite Sky Crane helicopter to giant cargo jets that dump tons of fire retardant. But today we're taking about a truly unique, purpose-built firefighting airplane: the Super Scooper. This plane skims the surface of a body of water, collects a shocking amount through tiny scoop ports, flies off, and dumps it on a wildfire. We talk to a pilot about what it's like to fly one.

Thanks to our guest in this episode:

Scott Blue, Pilot, Bridger Aerospace

Find the transcript here.

AirSpace is created by the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum with generous support from Lockheed Martin.

Space Race: The Prequel (Part Two) Mar 27, 2025

Show notes

If you haven't listened already, go back and check out Part One. When you hear 'space race' you probably (correctly) think about the 1960s Soviet Union v. U.S. race to put an astronaut on the Moon. But a few hundred years before, the space race was all about Venus. About twice every century we here on Earth get to see Venus pass in the front of the Sun. Back the 18th and 19th centuries, this was a Big Deal. At the time, all astronomers wanted to be the first to use the transit of Venus to figure out the distance between the Earth and the Sun. In Part Two we're bringing you more adventures to observe the transit and talking about what the result (or lack of results) meant for astronomy.

Thanks to our guests in this episode:

Ted Rafferty, formerly of the United States Naval Observatory
Dr. Samantha Thompson, Astronomy Curator - National Air and Space Museum

Find the transcript here.

AirSpace is created by the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum with generous support from Lockheed Martin.

Space Race: The Prequel (Part One) Mar 13, 2025

Show notes

When you hear 'space race' you probably (correctly) think about the 1960s Soviet Union v. U.S. race to put an astronaut on the Moon. But a few hundred years before, the space race was all about Venus. Twice every century or so we here on Earth get to see Venus pass in front of the Sun (with proper eye protection. Don't stare at the Sun, kids.) Back in the 18th and 19th centuries, this was a Big Deal. At the time, all astronomers wanted to be part of the effort to use the transit of Venus to figure out the distance between the Earth and the Sun. And to claim that astronomical victory for their respective empire. In Part One we're talking about the astronomical breakthroughs that made scientists and adventurers flock to the 1761 transit.

Thanks to our guests in this episode:

Ted Rafferty, formerly of the United States Naval Observatory
Dr. Samantha Thompson, Astronomy Curator-National Air and Space Museum

Find the transcript here.

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AirSpace is created by the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum with generous support from Lockheed Martin.

Crater Dating Feb 27, 2025

Show notes

The oldest Earth rocks we have are 4.3 billion years old, and samples we've brought back from the Moon are even older. But what does that have to do with craters on Mars? When the Apollo missions brought back samples, those rocks let us confirm the age of parts of our lunar bestie for the first time. Now, scientific models use data from those samples to extrapolate the age of other geologic events in our Solar System.

Thanks to our guest in this episode:

Dr. Beau Bierhaus, Senior Research Scientist - Lockheed Martin*

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Find the transcript here.

Take our listener survey at s.si.edu/airspace2025

Find the transcript here.

AirSpace is created by the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum with generous support from Lockheed Martin.

*AirSpace is editorially independent from its sponsors

Hypatia Mars Feb 13, 2025

Show notes

Right now there are seven women on Mars... kind of. The women of Hypatia Mars started out as a small group of friends from Catalonia who wanted to work together tp advance space science and women in STEM. Today they're on their second analog mission at the Mars Desert Research Station in Utah, testing systems and equipment, doing multidisciplinary research, and continuously working to reach out to girls and young women about what their careers are like.

Thanks to our guests in this episode:

Carla Conejo Gonzalez, Co-Founder of Hypatia Mars
Dr. Ariadna Ferrés, Commander of Hypatia II
Dr. Estel Blay, Scientist Hypatia II

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Take our listener survey at s.si.edu/airspace2025

Find the transcript here.

AirSpace is created by the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum with generous support from Lockheed Martin

From Flight to Floor Jan 23, 2025

Show notes

We want to hear from you! Fill out our listener survey at s.si.edu/airspace2025

All the military aircraft and some of the civilian ones in our collections have to be demilitarized before they go on display or into storage. This process, usually called demilling, means taking anything out that might leak, corrode, explode or give away military secrets.

Thanks to our guest in this episode: