Smithsonian HD Network

On inadequate foundations, San Francisco's MoMA triples in size creating an exterior light enough to prevent collapse; a 1970s Sydney skyscraper is recycled into a 21st century tower; in Dallas, a five-acre park is created.

A London railway station; giant Singapore biodomes; eye-catching hospital in Las Vegas.

Visiting London's Gherkin, Seattle's Evergreen Point Floating Bridge and Lyon's Musée des Confluences to uncover how and why they were built.

On 1 June 2009, Air France Flight 447 stalls and crashes into the Atlantic Ocean while flying through a thunderstorm, killing all 228 people on board.

The captain of a Navy cruiser must quickly determine if an approaching plane is friendly.

In a rush to complete their flights, three different flight crews skip key procedures, ignore signs of danger and make deadly decisions.

The pairing of a domineering pilot and an inexperienced first officer has deadly consequences in northern Minnesota.

In one of the world's busiest airports, a large passenger plane crashes into a smaller one; a 1986 midair crash between planes near Los Angeles brings attention to disturbing congestion at airports.

In September 2006, a brand-new legacy business jet collides with a Boeing 737 over the Amazon forest.

Design innovations evolve as a result of terrible air disasters due to pressurization failure or explosive decompression.

The crash of a commuter flight to Detroit leads investigators to a cause the industry has known about for years.

Atlantic Airways Flight 670 careened off the runway and became engulfed in flames.

A look at riverine warfare from the Civil War to Vietnam and small but powerful combat ships.

It is considered the largest sea battle in history: the Battle of Leyte Gulf in WWII was three days of ingenious strategy and white-knuckle combat between warships, aircraft and kamikazes.

A portrayal of a crucial September 1950 military operation that helped the UN and ROK gain the upper hand over North Korea in the Korean War.

Examining some of maritime history's most effective lightning strikes; how the French frigate Nivôse set a trap to lure Somali pirates; how the HMS Illustrious captured a well-defended Mediterranean harbor in WWII; a surprise attack on Tokyo in 1942.

Recounting some of maritime warfare's explosions, from world wars and Vietnam to the nuclear tests at Bikini Atoll.

The story of one of the world's most effective war machines: the Viking longship, seeing how its design evolved from swift war canoe to versatile and feared ship that would change the course of history.

A look at the most famous wooden warships over the course of 500 years.

The ships that made mighty empires, from the lone wolves that patrolled the high seas for imperial Britain to the USS Laffey's heroic WWII battle against kamikazes at Okinawa.

A look at some of the rescue ships of the past 200 years of wartime and the brave men and women who risked their lives to save others.

A look at experimental ships and revolutionary designers that have changed the tide of war through the centuries.

An inside look at the U.S. Air Force's largest aircraft, the C-5 Galaxy; its most dramatic combat and peacetime missions over the last 50 years.

The Vietnam-era OV-10 Bronco is pulled out of retirement to join the fight against ISIS.

The history of the Russian MiG, American air power's fiercest rival for more than 50 years.

Considered the deadliest fighter of WWII, Germany's Me-109s were feared by Allied bombers and fighters alike; 109s fought Spitfires in the Battle of Britain and alongside Rommel in North Africa.

The most-produced bomber in US history, used during World War II by every branch of the American military, as well as by the Royal Air Force.

A look at the amphibious aircraft and the many roles it served during WWII, from patrol bomber to search-and-rescue aircraft.

A look at the British multirole fighter aircraft; the de Havilland Mosquito was used in the Second World War as a bomber, fighter and reconnaissance aircraft.

The overlooked underdog of British fighter planes; fast and versatile, the dogfighter doubled as a bomber and ground support aircraft in every theatre of WWII.

The inside story of the massive military transport aircraft, the C-17.

The history and evolution of America's most legendary spy plane.

The Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress is one of the most lethal bombers of the U.S. Air Force in WWII's European and Pacific campaigns; among other things, the plane delivered food to the German-occupied Netherlands.

A look at the rise and fall of the infamous Nazi dive bomber Ju-87 Stuka, an aircraft of World War II.

The Spitfire's legend and role in the Battle of Britain.

The inside story of how the AH/MH-6 evolved over the decades to become an irreplacable aircraft for the U.S. Military.

A view of Idaho from the air reveals a state filled with agricultural fields, lands untouched by human hands, and riches in the form of gold, ski resorts and spuds.

Louisiana's wetlands and underwater oil fields.

A coast-to-coast aerial journey across America, visiting locations made famous by movies such as Rocky, Citizen Kane, Forrest Gump and others.

Explore the forests, shores, bridges and tunnels of one of American's 13 original states, New Jersey.

Home to some of America's highest mountains; Mount St. Helens.

Natural wonders, manmade marvels, hidden treasures and places of inspiration.

Viewing Oklahoma from the sky reveals a state filled with tall-grass prairies and man-made wonders; the Dust Bowl, Tornado Alley and buffalo-filled plains; it also shows a history steeped in tragedy and devastation.

Caught in a major tropical storm, a 737 crashes just short of the runway on a Caribbean island, but the accident may not have been weather-related.

Air France Flight 296 fails to regain altitude after performing a fly-by during an air show at Mulhouse-Habsheim Airport.

A bomb explodes on Air India Flight 182 en route from Canada to India causing it to disintegrate over the coast of Ireland.

If pilots aren't prepared when the runway is in sight, a landing can quickly become a tragedy.

Flydubai Flight 981 enters a rapid descent and crashes nose-first at Rostov-on-Don Airport in Rostov-on-Don, Russia, after aborting its second landing attempt in poor weather conditions.

Devastating failures in the air put pilots to the test and shine a light on three feats of flying.

When an A300 stalls and crashes just before landing in Japan, fears arise about the plane's complex automated systems.

On 26 May 1991, the thrust reverser on the number one engine of Lauda Air Flight 004 deploys in flight without being commanded, causing the aircraft to spiral out of control, disintegrate, and crash about 100 miles northwest of Bangkok.

On August 22nd, 1985, 55 people died aboard British Airtours flight 28M when its engine catches fire as it accelerates.

Just after takeoff from Honolulu, TransAir Flight 810 loses power and ditches in the Pacific. Both pilots survive, blaming dual engine failure — but when the Boeing 737 is recovered, the wreckage reveals a different cause behind it.

Investigators struggle to understand the unusual flight path and Himalayan crash site of Thai Airways Flight 311.

A helicopter carrying oil workers to an offshore drilling platform crashes.