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Lemelson Center Books

Handprints on Hubble: An Astronaut's Story of Invention

In the newest book in the Lemelson Center series with MIT Press, the first American woman to walk in space recounts her experiences as part of the team that launched, rescued, repaired, and maintained the Hubble Space Telescope.

Blog

In Uncle Sam’s Service: WWI Inventor William J. Hammer

Inventor William J. Hammer was one of thousands of patriotic inventors who mobilized for World War I.

Blog

Meet Lonnie Johnson, the Man Behind the Super Soaker

Get to know engineer Lonnie Johnson, founder and president of Johnson Research and Development Co., who invented the wildly-popular Super Soaker water gun, worked on high-performance Nerf dart guns, and focuses today on inventions related to clean energy.

Invention Stories

Get that clean, baby-faced look: Razors at the Smithsonian

Whether participating in Movember or No Shave November or just being lazy with the razor, November is all about facial hair. Perhaps coincidentally, November hosts some razor-specific invention anniversaries.

Invention Stories

Rocket Scientist and Inventor Yvonne Brill

I venture to guess that when most people hear “rocket scientist” either they envision a man wearing a lab coat. Meet rocket scientist and inventor Yvonne Brill.

Beyond Words

Podcast: Civil War Communications Technologies, Part 2 (of 2)

Jesse Heitz, King's College, London, describes the Confederacy’s use of ironclad ship technology and National Air and Space Museum curator Tom Crouch talks about prototypes for flying machines during the Civil War.

Beyond Words

Podcast: Howard McCurdy Examines Government Influence on Space Innovation

Has the government’s role in the space program influenced innovation?

Beyond Words

Podcast: Matthew Hersch and the History of the Space Suit

Historian Matthew Hersch explores the underpinnings of the space suit's development.

Beyond Words

Podcast: Vickie Kloeris Creates Meals for Outer Space

NASA food scientist Vickie Kloeris develops healthy, tasty meals for astronauts.

Invention Stories

"The Blue Marble"

As one of the Apollo astronauts quipped dismissively while at work on the surface of the moon, "If you’ve seen one Earth, you [have] seen them all." The famous photograph of the whole Earth, taken in 1972 by the crew of the final Apollo mission and dubbed "The Blue Marble," is one of the most ico

Beyond Words

Podcast: Paul MacCready's Inventions Do More with Less

Paul MacCready, a pioneer in human and solar powered transportation, talks about inventive creativity and foresees the importance of socially responsible inventing. MacCready passed away on 28 August 2007.

Invention Stories

Innovative Lives: Ikenga—The Revolutionary Gyroplane

Industrial designer David Gittens turned his dreams into reality by designing an improved gyroplane, an aircraft with a rotor powered by wind. The Gyro 2000 Ikenga 530Z is now part of the National Air and Space Museum's collections.

Invention Stories

Innovative Lives: The Heart of the Falcon: Akhil Madhani

MIT graduate Akhil Madhani developed the Silver Falcon, a robotic arm for doing heart surgery.

Invention Stories

Innovative Lives: George Carruthers, Lunar Learning

Astrophysicist George Carruthers got his start building a telescope when he was ten years old. Eventually, astronauts used his invention to take ultraviolet pictures of Earth from space for the first time.

Invention Stories

Innovative Lives: Hal Walker, The Coherent Light of Persistence

Hal Walker's life is a lesson in hard work and conviction. "In my experience," he asserts, "an awareness of how things work helps an individual to master events around him."