Space travel is hungry work. Humans have spent nearly six decades experimenting with different ways to feed astronauts (with mixed reviews). As astronauts live and work in space on longer missions further from home, a new generation of chefs and food scientists is thinking outside the box (and can, and tube, and pouch). What if space travelers had kitchens complete with appliances and pantries full of ingredients?

In this episode of AirSpace, recorded in front of a live audience at the National Air and Space Museum, Matt and Emily spoke with an expert panel about the past and future of cooking and eating in space.

Thanks to our guests in this episode:

• Chef Charisse Grey, head of Research & Development, José Andrés Group
• Jim Sears, CEO and founder, SATED Space
• Margaret Weitekamp, curator and chair of Space History, Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum

Find the transcript for this episode and more information at s.si.edu/airspaces11e5.

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AirSpace is made possible with the generous support of Lockheed Martin.

Science fiction heroes aren't usually humanities professors, but Arrival (2016) is the exception to that rule. Amy Adams stars as Dr. Louise Banks, who may be the only person on Earth who can figure out what a pair of mysterious aliens are trying to say.

Today on AirSpace, Matt and Emily discuss the film, its source material (Ted Chiang's novella Story of Your Life), linguistics, non-linear time, extraterrestrials, explosions, geopolitical tension, oat milk, and other mysteries of the universe.

The transcript for this episode is at s.si.edu/airspaces11e4

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AirSpace is made possible with the generous support of Lockheed Martin.

Twinkle, twinkle, little star, how we wonder . . . well, where to even begin? How do stars form from gas and dust? Why do some stars go supernova? And what the heck is the "main sequence?"

We brought in one of the Museum's astronomy educators for a stellar conversation about the birth, life, and death of stars. There's plenty to learn, and even more to wonder about, today on AirSpace.

Thanks to our guest in this episode:

• Shauna Edson, Astronomy Educator, National Air and Space Museum

The transcript for this episode is at s.si.edu/airspaces11e3.

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AirSpace is made possible with the generous support of Lockheed Martin.

Have you ever wondered what happens to your checked bag once you've handed it over to the airline? Us too! We took a field trip to Dulles Airport to visit our friends at United Airlines and find out. Today on AirSpace, follow a suitcase on its journey from check-in through TSA, airline sorting, handling on the aircraft, and back to you on the baggage carousel.

Thanks to our guest in this episode:

• Jim Decker, Director of Ramp Operations for United Airlines at Dulles International Airport

The transcript for this episode is at s.si.edu/airspaces11e2

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AirSpace is made possible with the generous support of Lockheed Martin.

SEEKING: full time aviators slash weather enthusiasts for unique opportunity. SCHEDULE: hurricane season. WORK SITE: Lakeland, FL; Biloxi, MS; and the eye of a hurricane. Members of the Air Force and NOAA Corps spend months each year flying back and forth through hurricanes collecting information vital to weather prediction. On the Season 11 premiere of AirSpace, we talk to three of them and get the download on what it takes to do that job.

Thanks to our guests in this episode:

• Lieutenant Colonel Mark Withee, Air Force 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron
• Commander Kevin Doremus, NOAA Corps
• Lieutenant Thomas Smith, NOAA Corps

The transcript for this episode is at s.si.edu/airspaces11e1.

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AirSpace is made possible with the generous support of Lockheed Martin.

AirSpace will be back with Season 11 very soon. In the meantime we thought y'all would enjoy this episode from the Smithsonian Magazine's podcast, There's More to That: Why Auroras Are Suddenly Everywhere All at Once.

For millennia, auroras have both enchanted and haunted human beings. Ancient lore is filled with myths attempting to explain what caused the celestial phenomenon. More recent historic documentation of auroras may even help us predict damaging solar storms in the future.

As we head into a year expected to bring the best northern lights in two decades, we consider the science behind auroras and why they are suddenly so plentiful—even in places that hardly qualify as northern.

In this episode, Jo Marchant, author of The Human Cosmos, and Smithsonian science editor Carlyn Kranking revel in auroras through the ages and explain how to view these dazzling displays yourself.

The Women's Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) are relatively well-known in the U.S. today (to hear more about their story, see our previous episode), but they weren't the only women who flew planes in World War II. A small group of Americans joined pilots from 25 other countries in England's Air Transport Auxiliary, where they ferried hundreds of thousands of planes across the British Isles. Among the pilots were women from all countries and men too old or otherwise unfit for active duty (including a WWI Ace with only one eye and arm). They braved poor weather, mechanically iffy planes, regular bombings, and dangerous conditions to keep the Allies in the air.

Thanks to our guests in this episode

• Becky Aikman, Author of Spitfires: The American Women who Flew in the Face of Danger During WWII
• Richard Poad, organizer, Air Transport Auxiliary Museum at the Maidenhead Heritage Centre

Oral histories in the episode came from the NASA Oral History Project and the TWU Libraries Women's Collection at Texas Women's University.

The transcript for this episode is at s.si.edu/homefront4

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AirSpace is made possible by generous support from Lockheed Martin

Just off the coast of the United States, a menace lurked in the water. German U-boats were a very real problem for merchant vessels and war ships during World War II. With all available military airplanes and pilots needed on the front lines, and the Coast Guard mostly lacking aviation assets, the U.S. needed to get creative. Enter: the brand new Civil Air Patrol. This entirely civilian effort put private planes and pilots to work spotting U-Boats and other threats in the water. They even carried bombs on coastal patrols. The CAP also did search and rescue, medical flights, border patrol and more--roles the organization still serves today.

Thanks to our guest in this episode

• Dr. Frank Blazich of the Civil Air Patrol and the Smithsonian's American History Museum

You can find the transcript for this episode at s.si.edu/homefront3

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AirSpace is made possible by the generous support of Lockheed Martin