Rockets, Missiles, and Spacecraft of the National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution

Step inside the National Air and Space Museum’s astronautics wing and meet the machines that carried humanity from the Wright brothers’ first flight to voyages beyond Earth. This compact guide walks listeners through a curated selection of rockets, missiles and spacecraft, pairing vivid photographs with concise histories that explain how each piece fit into the larger story of American innovation. From early experiments by Robert Goddard to the sleek launch of Viking 2 toward Mars, the narrative captures the excitement of each era while highlighting the engineering challenges that shaped these iconic vehicles.

Beyond the hardware, the book reveals how the museum’s Department of Astronautics was created to preserve these artifacts for future generations, detailing the partnership with NASA that secured their safety after active service. Listeners will come away with a clearer sense of why these objects matter—both as milestones of technological progress and as tangible links to the daring spirit that propels humanity upward and outward.