Inside the National Air and Space Museum with Margaret Weitekamp

Alan Lowe speaks with Dr. Margaret Weitekamp of the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum about its transformation ahead of America’s 250th anniversary. They explore how new exhibits, immersive storytelling, and iconic artifacts like the Wright Flyer, Space Shuttle Discovery, and Neil Armstrong’s spacesuit bring aviation and space history to life. Weitekamp discusses the museum’s role as both a public institution and research center, preserving innovations from early flight to modern space exploration. She also reflects on international collaboration, private sector contributions, and how triumph and tragedy alike shape our understanding of humanity’s journey beyond Earth. Guest Bio Dr. Margaret Weitekamp is the curator and department chair of the space history department at the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum. She holds a BA from the University of Pittsburgh and earned her MA and PhD in history from Cornell University. A former Mellon Fellow in the humanities, she also served as the American Historical Association’s NASA Aerospace History Fellow at NASA Headquarters. Since joining the museum in 2004, she has led major curatorial efforts and became department chair in 2019. Dr. Weitekamp is a widely published author, including Space Craze and Spaceships: An Illustrated History of the Real and the Imagined. Show Highlights

• (2:09) The goals of the renovation and when it’s going to be completed
• (6:28) The Udvar-Hazy Center
• (8:09) What Margaret Weitekamp does at the National Air and Space Museum
• (10:49) Key moments of American flight innovation documented at the museum
• (18:50) Artifacts on display that tell the story of American innovation in getting to the moon
• (22:12) The space shuttle’s impact on our understanding of Earth and space
• (25:58) How the museum communicates with NASA about adding to their collection
• (29:32) The role of international competition versus collaboration in forwarding innovation
• (32:48) The private sector’s role in space innovation and how the museum interacts with it
• (34:57) How satellites are used and what American innovations have contributed to them
• (38:35) The way the Air and Space Museum teaches about unmanned missions like Voyager
• (41:13) What we’ve learned from past mistakes, such as the Challenger explosion
• (44:59) What’s made the biggest impression on Margaret since she’s been at the museum
• (47:11) What we should keep in mind when looking at the next 250 years of space innovation
• (49:51) How to follow what’s going on at the National Air and Space Museum

Links Referenced

• Spaceships: An Illustrated History of the Real and the Imagined: https://www.amazon.com/Spaceships-2nd-Illustrated-History-Imagined/dp/1588347265/
• Space Craze, America’s Enduring Fascination With Real and Imagined Space Flight: https://www.amazon.com/Space-Craze-Americas-Fascination-Spaceflight/dp/1588347257
• National Air and Space Museum: https://airandspace.si.edu