Skip to main content

Subscribe to Smithsonian magazine and get a FREE tote.

An artist's concept of the ESA's Solar Orbiter and NASA's Parker Solar Probe as they undertake missions to explore the sun

Solar Orbiter: ESA / ATG medialab; Parker Solar Probe: NASA / Johns Hopkins APL
Special Report

Future of Space Exploration

From groundbreaking launches of new telescopes to missions to the sun and other planets, Smithsonian Magazine details upcoming efforts to understand the universe.

Construction of multiple telescopes has begun on Saishiteng Mountain—near the town of Lenghu in the Qinghai province of China. The site could be China’s first major observatory, on par with those in Hawaii, Chile, and the Canary Islands.

Science

Why the Tibetan Plateau Might Be the Ideal Spot for the Telescope of the Future

A team in China has identified a location that could give the Eastern Hemisphere its first major observatory

Webb’s 18 mirror segments can lock into the largest telescopic mirror humankind has ever built.

Science

The Five Big Ways the James Webb Telescope Will Help Astronomers Understand the Universe

The highly awaited observatory is set to break new ground in many areas of astronomical research

This will be the first NASA mission to Venus since 1990.

Smart News

With Two New Missions, NASA Announces Return to Venus by 2030

The projects, DAVINCI+ and VERITAS, will explore the planet's past and Earth's similarities with its sister planet

Artist's rendering of

At the Smithsonian

From Floating Cities to Biodegradable Burial Pods and Flying Cars, the Smithsonian Envisions a Multitude of Futures

The Arts and Industries Building will reopen this November with a thought-provoking exploration of what lies ahead for humanity

Space Travel

The pen and the broken circuit breaker switch sold at auction.

Smart News

Buzz Aldrin Used This Humble Felt-Tip Pen to Save the Apollo II Astronauts. It Just Sold for More Than $850,000

In July 1969, a quick-thinking Aldrin used the writing instrument to rearm the engine arm circuit of the lunar module “Eagle” after the switch broke off during the moon landing

Strange, metallic-looking spheres recently washed ashore in Queensland, Australia.

Smart News

Strange Spheres Washed Ashore on an Australian Beach. Authorities Say They’re Probably ‘Space Balls’—Empty Fuel Vessels From a Rocket

The shiny objects—each roughly twice the size of a basketball—began to appear on July 3. Authorities initially worried that they were hazardous but have since determined that they’re likely safe bits of space junk

An image of Skylab captured by its final crew as they departed. During launch, one of the solar array wings broke off, and the gold sheet at the center was quickly manufactured afterward to serve as a makeshift sunshield and control the internal temperature.

At the Smithsonian

America’s First Space Station Proved Humans Could Live and Work in Orbit for Months. Now, the Public Can See What It Looked Like in Person for the First Time in Eight Years

A backup version of Skylab was displayed when the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum opened 50 years ago. After renovation of the building, the artifact is once more on view in a new gallery

The southern lights curve above the Earth as the ISS orbited above the Indian Ocean southwest of Perth, Australia.

Smart News

See a Stunning View of the Southern Lights Dancing Across the Earth Captured by a NASA Astronaut

Jessica Meir, commander of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-12 mission, shared photos and videos of a green aurora she shot while sheltering in a capsule outside the International Space Station

At a press conference on June 9, NASA announced the crew of its upcoming Artemis 3 mission to low-Earth orbit. Commander Randy Bresnik, pilot Luca Parmitano and mission specialists Frank Rubio and Andre Douglas will make up the four-person crew.

Smart News

NASA Announces the Crew of Artemis 3, Four Astronauts Who Will ‘Take Calculated Risks’ in Low-Earth Orbit and Pave the Way for a Future Moon Landing

The mission, expected to launch next year, will practice meeting and docking with lunar landers developed by SpaceX and Blue Origin