Smithsonian

NASA’s New Chief Finds Loophole for Texas Shuttle Switcheroo

“One way or another, we’re going to make sure Johnson Space Center gets its historic spacecraft right where it belongs.”

Space & Spaceflight Ellyn Lapointe Dec 30

The Battle Over Space Shuttle Discovery Keeps Getting Crazier

Lawmakers pushing to move the iconic spacecraft from the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum to Texas just got the Department of Justice involved.

Space & Spaceflight Ellyn Lapointe Oct 23

Space Shuttle Discovery display at the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum

Texas Senators Want to Chop Up Space Shuttle Discovery

Discovery has been on display at the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum for more than a decade. Now, Senators Ted Cruz and John Cornyn want to bring it to Texas.

Space & Spaceflight Ellyn Lapointe Oct 2

Discovery Rollout 7 Trucked Overland To Edwards Oct 1983

NASA Approves Ted Cruz’s Plan to Move a Space Shuttle to Houston, Setting Up a Fight With the Smithsonian

The Smithsonian acquired the shuttle from NASA in 2012, and it's openly objecting to its possible relocation.

Space & Spaceflight Passant Rabie Aug 6

Laptop That Helped Bring Down Bitcoin Thief ‘Razzlekhan’ Is Now in the Smithsonian

The museum's monetary collection has struggled with how to display cryptocurrency, but a federal agent's laptop is helping to shape our understanding of the future of money.

Cryptocurrencies Matthew Gault Nov 20

Image of the Moon's surface taken by Lunar Orbiter 2.

Scientists Propose Lunar ‘Noah’s Ark’ to Preserve DNA of Endangered Species

The vault would rely on its remoteness from human-made disasters and the Moon's naturally low temperatures to cryogenically preserve animal skin samples.

Space & Spaceflight Adam Kovac Aug 1

How the Smithsonian Prevents Neil Armstrong’s Spacesuit From Slowly Destroying Itself With Harmful Gases

Short of entombing it in a giant resin block like a prehistoric mosquito trapped in amber, the Smithsonian’s conservators can’t stop Neil Armstrong’s spacesuit from slowly breaking down over time. But, as Adam Savage discovered, they have come up with a clever way to slow down the degradation. It’s not obvious to museum visitors, but…

Tech News Andrew Liszewski Jul 31

The Rocket That Took Humans to the Moon Will Be Projected on the Washington Monument Next Week

The 50th anniversary of the Moon landing is coming up on July 20 and there are events being held all around Washington D.C. to celebrate. One of the coolest events will be at the Washington Monument, where a full-scale, 363-foot Saturn V rocket will be digitally projected on the landmark as a 17-minute show about…

Tech News Matt Novak Jul 10

Intel Has No Idea What to Do With VR, but It’s Fun to Watch It Try

Virtual Reality is tech’s biggest question mark. Could it become a mainstream medium, like movies or video games, or something completely different? A lot of people have tried and failed to answer that question, and while Intel’s VR Happy Hour at the New Museum on Tuesday is no exception, roleplaying as a tree and directing…

Gadgets Zach Ezer Aug 3

These Cheetah Babies Are Trying to Chirp [Updated]

A lot of the stuff you’ll see online right now is pretty depressing, possibly concerning how the world is falling apart or like how we could randomly go to war at any second. But you know what isn’t depressing? This video of cheetah cubs doing their very best to let out some little roars. The…

Tech News William Turton Apr 6

Smithsonian Launches New Podcast About Technology, History, and Museums

Smithsonian has launched a new podcast called Sidedoor that takes listeners behind the scenes at the museums. The first episode, called Tech Yourself, looks at technology. And to be honest, the episode takes a while to get interesting. But it’s definitely worth a listen. The first quarter of the first episode is comprised mostly of…

Tech News Matt Novak Oct 26

You Can Now Enjoy Audio Tours of the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in Klingon

Having already restored the original Starship Enterprise and put it back on display, the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum needed to find another way to celebrate Star Trek’s birthday today. So it commissioned extraterrestrial linguist Mark Okrand to record special audio tours of the museum in Klingon, to accommodate visitors from Qo’noS. Okrand, a…

io9 Andrew Liszewski Sep 8

The Weirdest Dolphin on Earth Has a New Relative

In the murky waters of the Ganges and Indus rivers, a few thousand blind dolphins swim on their sides, snapping at prey with long, exaggerated beaks and using echolocation to navigate. Because of pollution and habitat destruction, the South Asian river dolphin is on its way to extinction—but a newly-discovered relative may strengthen the case…

Tech News Maddie Stone Aug 16

Repainting the Original Star Trek Enterprise Was an Intensely Time-Consuming Process

It’s one of the most recognizable props in pop culture history, so it’s only fitting that the Smithsonian recently spent almost two years restoring the USS Enterprise model used in the original Star Trek TV series. The paint work alone was a painstaking process, as detailed in this new behind-the-scenes look at the restoration. Sometime…

io9 Andrew Liszewski Aug 1

Celebrate Star Trek‘s 50th Anniversary With a Documentary About Preserving the Enterprise

Now that the original model is restored and back on display at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington D.C., the whole process is going to get the small screen treatment. The Smithsonian Channel is going to air a two-hour special called Building Star Trek on September 4, just four days before the actual,…

io9 Katharine Trendacosta Jul 6

Sea Lion Pup, Too Pure For This World, Born at National Zoo

This post was very difficult to write. Every time I managed to get a few words on the page, I would start making ridiculous noises. Look at its little flippers! Its face! Those large eyes! It was announced that on Sunday, the Smithsonian’s National Zoo welcomed a new California sea lion pup into the world,…

Biology Carli Velocci Jul 2

The 9 Most Breathtaking Images from the Smithsonian’s Annual Photo Contest

A volcano spewing ash, magical forest fireflies, and a monkey who feels just like we all do about winter weather. These are just a few of the remarkable photos from the Smithsonian’s annual photo contest. The winning photos for 2015, released this week, were selected from more than 46,000 submissions. The grand prize winner, seen…

Tech News Ria Misra Mar 23

Here Are The Men Who Built Star Trek’s Original Enterprise

This is pretty awesome: A picture of the original Star Trek model, along with the men who assembled it, taken in December, 1964. The model was constructed by Richard C. Datin Jr., Mel Keys, Vernon Sion and Volmer Jensen (who isn’t in this picture), and has since been restored a number of times, most recently…

io9 Andrew Liptak Jan 10

Smithsonian Kickstarter Campaign Raises Over $700,000 to Restore Apollo Spacesuits

It’s official. The Smithsonian’s crowdfunding campaign to preserve and display Neil Armstrong’s Apollo 11 spacesuit ended early this morning. And it was such a huge success, they’ll be restoring Alan Shepard’s suit as well. The Smithsonian smashed through its goal of $500,000, ultimately raising $719,799 from 9,477 contributors. The campaign, called “Reboot the Suit” was…

Tech News Matt Novak Aug 19

The Smithsonian Is Finally Getting Crowdfunding Right

On Monday the Smithsonian Institution launched a Kickstarter campaign to preserve astronaut Neil Armstrong’s Apollo 11 spacesuit. Now with over $420,000 raised and a healthy 26 days left, the campaign is on track to easily exceed its $500,000 goal. But the Smithsonian’s road to crowdfunding success has been a long and bumpy one. Update: July…

Tech News Matt Novak Jul 23

Smithsonian

NASA’s New Chief Finds Loophole for Texas Shuttle Switcheroo

The Battle Over Space Shuttle Discovery Keeps Getting Crazier

Texas Senators Want to Chop Up Space Shuttle Discovery

NASA Approves Ted Cruz’s Plan to Move a Space Shuttle to Houston, Setting Up a Fight With the Smithsonian

Laptop That Helped Bring Down Bitcoin Thief ‘Razzlekhan’ Is Now in the Smithsonian

Scientists Propose Lunar ‘Noah’s Ark’ to Preserve DNA of Endangered Species

How the Smithsonian Prevents Neil Armstrong’s Spacesuit From Slowly Destroying Itself With Harmful Gases

The Rocket That Took Humans to the Moon Will Be Projected on the Washington Monument Next Week

Intel Has No Idea What to Do With VR, but It’s Fun to Watch It Try

These Cheetah Babies Are Trying to Chirp [Updated]

Smithsonian Launches New Podcast About Technology, History, and Museums

You Can Now Enjoy Audio Tours of the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in Klingon

The Weirdest Dolphin on Earth Has a New Relative

Repainting the Original Star Trek Enterprise Was an Intensely Time-Consuming Process

Celebrate Star Trek‘s 50th Anniversary With a Documentary About Preserving the Enterprise

Sea Lion Pup, Too Pure For This World, Born at National Zoo

The 9 Most Breathtaking Images from the Smithsonian’s Annual Photo Contest

Here Are The Men Who Built Star Trek’s Original Enterprise

Smithsonian Kickstarter Campaign Raises Over $700,000 to Restore Apollo Spacesuits

The Smithsonian Is Finally Getting Crowdfunding Right

Logitech MX Vertical Wireless Mouse Is Back at Almost 40% Off, Save Your Wrists with Ergonomic Comfort for Less

The First Big ‘Alien: Earth’ Season 2 Addition Is Peter Dinklage

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Trump’s Botched Iran ‘Ceasefire’ Puts Polymarket Bettors in a Bind

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Scientists Move Closer to Male Birth Control With No Hormones, No Snip

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‘Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End’ Is a Sublime Fantasy That Finds Beauty in the Mundane

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