Wings Over the Rockies® Wins Emmy for ‘Behind the Wings’ Episode
DENVER, Colo – July 23, 2026 — Wings Over the Rockies® has reached a historic milestone, earning its first-ever Emmy Award for its PBS-partnered educational series, “Behind the Wings.” Presented during the annual Heartland Emmy Awards at the Seawell Ballroom in the Denver Center for the Performing Arts, the award recognizes Season 7, Episode 4, which explores NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission to the asteroid Bennu and the groundbreaking science helping unlock the origins of life on Earth.
The Emmy marks a defining moment for the Colorado-based nonprofit and its mission to educate, inspire, and connect people with the wonder of aviation and space exploration. Through compelling storytelling and world-class production, “Behind the Wings” brings the people, technology, and discoveries shaping aerospace to millions of viewers, extending Wings Over the Rockies’ educational impact far beyond the museum’s walls and establishing the organization as an award-winning leader in aerospace storytelling.
“The entire team at Wings Over the Rockies is incredibly excited and proud of this recognition,” said David Dickerson, President and CEO of Wings Over the Rockies. “Winning an Emmy reflects the high caliber of work our team puts forward and strongly contributes to our growing reputation as a leader in educational storytelling.”
Key contributors to the award-winning episode include Creative Director Cray Novick, Consulting Producer Karen Weiser, and Host Tracy LaTourrette. Novick led the production as director, producer, and editor. Weiser contributed through creative storytelling and writing, while LaTourrette hosted the episode, guiding viewers through the scientific breakthroughs and human triumphs of the OSIRIS-REx mission.
“Winning an Emmy is an incredible honor and a testament to our team’s commitment to advancing Wings’ mission of education and inspiration through storytelling,” Novick said. “Through Behind the Wings, we reach millions of viewers in Colorado and around the world, celebrating not only groundbreaking technology, but also the people whose courage, curiosity, and collaboration make every mission possible. We’re incredibly grateful to everyone who has supported the series, and we’re just getting started. There are many more stories to tell, and we believe the best is yet to come.”
Novick serves as the Creative Director for Wings Over the Rockies. As the primary creative mind behind “Behind the Wings,” he manages the concept, direction, production, and editing for the PBS-partnered series to bring aerospace concepts to public television.
Weiser is an Emmy-nominated storyteller who serves as a Consulting Producer for the series. Her previous television credits include work with National Geographic Wild, Discovery, HGTV, Travel Channel, Food Network, and PBS. Her background includes early production work at CBS News and CBS Sports, as well as serving as showrunner for Animal Planet’s “Emergency Vets.”
LaTourrette serves as the host of “Behind the Wings.” A former combat-mission-ready F-16 fighter pilot, she was Colorado’s first female fighter pilot and one of the first women in history to command fighter jets. In addition to her hosting duties across nine episodes of the series, she works as an inspirational speaker, executive coach, and resilience expert.
For more information on “Behind the Wings” or to plan a visit, visit https://wingsmuseum.org/.
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About Wings Over the Rockies:
Wings Over the Rockies (Wings) is a Colorado-based nonprofit organization and the state’s official Air and Space Museum. Wings is committed to educating, inspiring and exciting all people about aviation and space endeavors of the past, present and future. As one organization with two distinct locations – the historic Lowry neighborhood in Denver, and Centennial Airport in Englewood – Wings offers complementary experiences for visitors.
Wings Over the Rockies Air & Space Museum at Lowry is the museum’s primary home and serves as a spectacular repository for aviation and space history. Established in 1994, Wings’ Lowry campus features more than 97,000 square feet of exhibits, including over 60 aircraft and spacecraft, alongside the stories of people and innovations that shaped flight.
Wings Over the Rockies Centennial campus offers a dynamic, functional aviation experience. Opened in 2018, this location features interactive exhibits, aviation programming, and active aircraft that fly in and out of the airport, giving visitors rare, up-close access to aircraft operations and the runway environment. Together, the two locations welcome visitors from all 50 states and more than 34 countries each year. For more information, visit WingsMuseum.org.