Dr. Emily A. Margolis is Curator of American Women’s History, and is jointly appointed at the National Air and Space Museum and the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory in Cambridge, Massachusetts. She is developing collections that fully realize women’s contributions to and engagement with aviation, spaceflight, astronomy, and planetary science. Her work supports the Smithsonian American Women’s History Initiative. Dr. Margolis trained as a social and cultural historian of spaceflight. Her recent scholarship on the origins of space tourism explored the development of space-themed tourism industries around NASA centers in the American South during the 1950s and 60s. 

Article

• Margolis, Emily A. 2020. "'See your spaceport': Project Apollo and the origins of Kennedy Space Center tourism, 1963–67." European Journal of American Culture, 39, (3) 249–274. https://doi.org/10.1386/ejac_00030_1. 2020

Blog Posting

• Margolis, Emily A. 2023. "Kalpana Chawla: The First South Asian American Woman in Space." Air and Space Stories Washington, DC: Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. Feb 1, 2023. https://airandspace.si.edu/stories/editorial/kalpana-chawla. 2023
• Margolis, Emily A. and Montiel, Anya. 2022. "Mary Golda Ross: Aerospace Engineer, Educator, and Advocate." Air and Space Stories Washington, DC: Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. Feb 11, 2022. https://airandspace.si.edu/stories/editorial/mary-g-ross-aerospace-engineer. 2022
• Margolis, Emily A. 2021. "A Seat in the Flight Deck: Recognizing and Replacing Biases with Gender Inclusive Language." Air and Space Stories Washington, DC: Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. Mar 31, 2021. https://doi.org/U11. 2021
• Margolis, Emily A. and Thompson, Samantha M. 2021. "Remembering Astronomer Henrietta Swan Leavitt." Air and Space Stories Washington, DC: Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. Dec 12, 2021. https://airandspace.si.edu/stories/editorial/remembering-astronomer-henrietta-swan-leavitt. 2021
• Margolis, Emily A. 2021. "Space Tourism: Then and Now." Air and Space Stories Washington, DC: Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. Oct 25, 2021. https://airandspace.si.edu/stories/editorial/space-tourism-then-and-now. 2021
• Margolis, Emily A. 2021. "The People Behind Astronomical Plates and Notebooks: Project PHaEDRA and the Harvard College Observatory Computers." Air and Space Stories Washington, DC: Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. May 16, 2021. https://airandspace.si.edu/stories/editorial/project-phaedra-and-harvard. 2021
• Margolis, Emily A. 2020. "Bee Falk's 100th Birthday." Air and Space Stories Washington, DC: Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. Dec 15, 2020. https://airandspace.si.edu/stories/editorial/bee-falks-100th-birthday. 2020

Book

• Hubbard, Ben, Margolis, Emily A., and Shindell, Matthew. 2024. Our Future in Space: Imagining Moon Bases, Missions to Mars, and More. North Mankato, Minnesota: Capstone Press. 2024

Chapter

• Margolis, Emily A. 2024. "Put Us on Display: The Making of the Alabama Space and Rocket Center, 1958-1970." In NASA and the American South. Odom, Brian C. and Waring, Stephen P., editors. Gainesville, Florida: University Press of Florida. 2024

Review

• Margolis, Emily A. 2022. [Book review] "A hidden figure tells her story." Physics Today, 75, (2), 49–50. https://doi.org/10.1063/PT.3.4942. 2022
• Margolis, Emily A. 2022. [Book review] "Managing innovation in telescope making: Making the Invisible Visible: A History of the Spitzer Infrared Telescope Facility (1971-2003), by Renee M. Rottner." Journal for the History of Astronomy, 53, (4), 497–498. https://doi.org/10.1177/00218286221111100. 2022