America 250: The Air & Space Power Story

This week we are visiting Mississippi! 3 astronauts call the Magnolia State home, which also hosts the Stennis Space Center and NASA’s Rocket Propulsion Test Program Office. On the air side, Mississippi was the site of the incredible 27-day-long endurance flight conducted by the Key Brothers in 1935 and was a pioneering area of operations for Huff Daland Dusters—a crop dusting company that would go on to become Delta Air Lines.

From wartime production lines to the launchpad of space exploration, Indiana’s impact on American air and space power is undeniable. In this episode of America 250: The Air and Space Power Story, we explore how the Hoosier State helped shape America’s defense and aerospace legacy. From Evansville’s massive World War II P-47 Thunderbolt production effort to the groundbreaking achievements of Indiana-born astronauts and Purdue University’s “Cradle of Astronauts,” Indiana stands as a symbol of innovation, resilience, and national service. Discover the remarkable story behind Indiana’s contributions to wartime manufacturing, aviation training, strategic airpower, and the future of space exploration — proving that America’s strength has always been powered by bold ideas and determined people.

This week we visit Louisiana! This state is home to the Michoud Assembly Facility, which has built some of our most important spacecraft components: everything from sections of the Apollo Saturn V rocket to the Space Shuttle's main liquid fuel tank and key elements of for the Artemis program. On the airpower side of things, we learn about the crucial role air racing played in advancing aviation in 1920s and 1930s, with special focus on Louisiana pilots Harry Palmerston Williams and Jimmy Wedell. This episode is sponsored by PenFed. Click the links below to learn more. Checking - https://bit.ly/3NTjHv3 Deposits - https://bit.ly/49YD5PS

This week we visit the Buckeye State! Ohio is the home of the Wright Brothers and Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. So, whether talking about building the Wright Military Flyer, or overseeing programs for modern types like F-47 and CCA--all paths tie back to this state. On the space side of the equation, a long line of astronauts called Ohio home, including John Glenn, Neil Armstrong, and Judith Resnik. You can learn about this and more at the National Museum of the US Air Force in Dayton. This episode is sponsored by PenFed. Click the links below to learn more. Checking - https://bit.ly/3NTjHv3 Deposits - https://bit.ly/49YD5PS

This week we visit Tennessee! The Volunteer State is home to Arnold Engineering Development Complex, which is key for both air and space test efforts. This includes a thermal vacuum chamber used to ensure satellites can withstand the extreme environment of space. We also learn about the contributions of Lieutenant General Frank Andrews, who was a pivotal leader that helped lay the foundations for American airpower in the prelude to World War II. This episode is sponsored by PenFed. Click the links below to learn more. Checking - https://bit.ly/3NTjHv3 Deposits - https://bit.ly/49YD5PS

This week we visit Kentucky! U.S. aviation—both civil and military— progressed after World War I thanks to the airmail industry. This sector developed new aircraft, increasingly sophisticated means of navigation, and the economic model necessary to advance flight in those pioneer years. Bowman Field of Louisville, Kentucky was a key airmail hub and later served as an important base in World War II. On the space front, we highlight space leaders from the Blue Grass State like Chief of Space Operations General Chance Saltzman as well as G. Scott Hubbard, known as the “Mars Czar” within NASA, and astronaut legend Story Musgrave. This episode is sponsored by PenFed. Click the links below to learn more. Checking - https://bit.ly/3NTjHv3 Deposits - https://bit.ly/49YD5PS 

This week we visit Vermont! You can't discuss airpower in that part of New England without reflecting upon the contributions of the Green Mountain Boys. First formed in 1946, the Vermont Air National Guard plays a critical role at home and abroad with their F-35s. In the space domain, we also highlight key industry players that have a long history of supporting the nation’s space endeavors. This episode is sponsored by PenFed. Click the links below to learn more. Checking - https://bit.ly/3NTjHv3 Deposits - https://bit.ly/49YD5PS 

This week we visit Rhode Island! World War II Army Air Force airpower in the Pacific wouldn't have been possible without the US Navy's Seabees. They constructed the runways, fuel depots, operations facilities, and everything else required to advance combat flight operations. The Seabee Memorial Park and Museum in North Kingston, RI commemorates this crucial history. We also learn about spacepower's role in the Ocean State through their astronauts and the Rhode Island Space Grant Consortium. This episode is sponsored by PenFed. Click the links below to learn more. Checking - https://bit.ly/3NTjHv3 Deposits - https://bit.ly/49YD5PS 

Mitchell Institute travels to North Carolina, where we visit the Sullenberger Aviation Museum in Charlotte, which houses a YF-102A prototype—an aircraft that formed the backbone for America’s homeland defense during some of the darkest days of the Cold War. We learn how it tied into the sophisticated SAGE air defense system. On the space side, 10 astronauts come from North Carolina, and the state is home to the Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute, which was used as the primary comms relay station between President Nixon and the Apollo 11 crew. This episode is sponsored by PenFed. Click the links below to learn more. Checking - https://bit.ly/3NTjHv3 Deposits - https://bit.ly/49YD5PS 

This week we visit New York! The Empire State was a World War II industrial powerhouse that built a major percentage of the planes the Allies used to defat Axis forces. New York is also a key contributor to the space domain. Whether considering it’s the home of 31 NASA astronauts, or the role Eastman Kodak Company played in developing many of the optics and film used for space reconnaissance systems. You can learn more about all of this by visiting places like the Cradle of Aviation Museum, American Airpower Museum, the Rochester Museum & Science Center, and more!  This episode is sponsored by PenFed. Click the links below to learn more. Checking - https://bit.ly/3NTjHv3 Deposits - https://bit.ly/49YD5PS 

This week we visit Virginia, home of many locations and artifacts that have been instrumental in America’s air and space power story. Virginia is the home of the National Reconnaissance Office and the Wollops Flight Facility which served as the launch site for many historic space missions. In Virginia you’ll also find Langley Air Force Base which has a storied history and is the current home of Air Combat Command. The nearby Virginia Air and Space Science Center houses the YF-16, the very first F-16—one of the most successful American military aircraft ever produced. This episode is sponsored by PenFed. Click the links below to learn more. Checking - https://bit.ly/3NTjHv3 Deposits - https://bit.ly/49YD5PS 

This week we visit New Hampshire! Early in World War II, the Granite State witnessed a massive expansion of critical airpower infrastructure at Grenier Field in Manchester. This base served as the key launching point for single aircraft that took the northern route to the European Theater, while also sustaining a variety of additional missions—everything from training sorties to anti-submarine patrols.  The aviation Museum of New Hampshire celebrates this history. New Hampshire is also the birthplace of Alan Shepard – America’s first man in space – who later walked on the Moon in 1971 as mission commander of Apollo 14. Today, space enthusiasts can visit the McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center in Concord, NH, which features interactive science and engineering exhibits, including a full-sized replica of a Mercury-Redstone rocket. This episode is sponsored by PenFed. Click the links below to learn more. Checking - https://bit.ly/3NTjHv3 Deposits - https://bit.ly/49YD5PS 

This week we are travelling to South Carolina! In February 1942, then-Lt Col Jimmy Doolittle visited Columbia Air Base to recruit the airmen who would serve as the famed Doolittle Raiders.  His words were direct: “We have a mission. Can’t tell you what it’s going be. It’s very, very dangerous. We only want volunteers.”  Visitors can learn more about this at the South Carolina Historic Aviation Foundation in Columbia, plus the USS Yorktown at Patriot’s Point. South Carolina also serves as home to former NASA Administrator Maj Gen Charles Borden, USMC (Ret)—who flew over 100 combat missions in Vietnam and is a 4-time astronaut, including as commander of STS-31, which deployed the Hubble Space Telescope. This episode is sponsored by PenFed. Click the links below to learn more. Checking - https://bit.ly/3NTjHv3 Deposits - https://bit.ly/49YD5PS 

This week we travel to Maryland! It’s the birthplace of 8 astronauts and is home to the NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, which pioneered mission control functions early in the space race and still operates systems like the Hubble and the James Webb telescopes. Additionally, we also explore College Park Airport, where Army aviation literally first took flight under the tutelage of Wilbur Wright and subsequent aviators invented everything from cross country flying, the use of radios on aircraft, efforts to arm planes, and employ bombsights.      This episode is sponsored by PenFed. Click the links below to learn more. Checking - https://bit.ly/3NTjHv3 Deposits - https://bit.ly/49YD5PS 

This week we travel to the birthplace of America, Massachusetts! We visit the American Heritage Museum in Hudson, MA which includes some of the world’s best warbirds—including a P-40 that was at Pearl Harbor. The collection also features two actual cells from the Hanoi Hilton—a powerful reminder of the bravery, sacrifice, and dedication to duty displayed by American POWs. The Bay State is also the birthplace of space pioneer Robert Goddard, who launched the first successful rocket using liquid propellent, and is home to MIT’s Lincoln Labs, which has been instrumental in advancing space capabilities.  This episode is sponsored by PenFed. Click the links below to learn more. Checking - https://bit.ly/3NTjHv3 Deposits - https://bit.ly/49YD5PS 

Join us on a visit to Connecticut, where we learn about where some of the most famous aircraft were built—from the flying boats that explored the world to WWII-era fighters and pioneering helicopters. Plus, we also explore where key parts of the Apollo program were constructed, plus new technology for NASA’s Artemis program. 

This week, we visit Georgia to discover where the famed 8th Air Force was created in the opening months of WWII and where you can see a fantastic museum celebrating this heritage. We also learn about how Georgia Tech is a key spacepower partner for the nation—yesterday, today, and looking towards tomorrow.

On this week’s episode of the America 250: Air and Space Power podcast, we continue our tour around the nation to learn more about the key artifacts, places, and people that helped pioneer air and space power. Heather, Doug, and Charles visit New Jersey and explore a site where U.S. Army scientists first bounced radar waves off the moon in a quest to detect ballistic missiles. We also discuss how a B-17 relic embodies dedication to duty, sacrifice, and remembrance.

On this week’s episode of the America 250: Air and Space Power podcast, we continue our tour around the nation to learn more about the key artifacts, places, and people that helped pioneer air and space power. Heather, Doug, and Charles visit Pennsylvania and explore the invention of the Air Force’s first integrated weapons system: the P-61 Black Widow. We also learn about a key installation in Johnstown that helped generations of astronauts prepare for space flight.

This week we’re kicking off the America 250: Air and Space Power podcast. 2026 is a major anniversary for our country—250 years since our forefathers created an independent nation. We’re excited to help celebrate that history through an air and space lens. Each state has contributed to the Air Force and Space Force in one way or another. There isn’t one key artifact, person, or exhibit. Instead, it’s a tapestry of dedication, innovation, community, and achievement. Over the course of the year, we’re going to highlight what we believe is a state’s top connection to airpower and spacepower. This week, we begin in America’s first state: Delaware. Join us as we learn more about the birth of airlift at the Air Mobility Command Museum and the invention of the space suits that took us to the moon.  

In this teaser episode, we kick off America 250: Air and Space Power Story, a year-long journey honoring the 250th anniversary of the United States through the lens of airpower and spacepower. Every state has played a role in shaping America’s Air Force and Space Force—and over the next 50 weeks, we’ll tell those stories one state at a time, following the order they joined the Union. Each episode highlights a tangible, visitable connection to air or space power—from historic aircraft and launch sites to innovation hubs and local institutions—along with honorable mentions that expand the story. We’ll also invite listeners to weigh in on what should be highlighted from their own communities. Air and space power is not a single story, but a collective tapestry of people, innovation, service, sacrifice, and technology. This series is our effort to tell as much of that story as possible—starting with Delaware, the First State.