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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.


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
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

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

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

SMART NEWS

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

Artist's rendering of

AT THE SMITHSONIAN

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

Space Travel

The Starship rocket on April 17, 2023, ahead of its first test flight. During the uncrewed flight, the booster failed to detach from the spaceraft and the rocket was intentionally exploded.

SMART NEWS

What to Know Ahead of SpaceX's Second Starship Test Flight on Saturday

Will Sullivan

The first color photo of the Martian surface, taken in 1976 by the Viking 1 probe. To survive on Mars' surface, astronauts will need oxygen, which only exists in trace amounts in the Martian atmosphere.

SMART NEWS

A Robotic 'A.I. Chemist' Could Make Oxygen on Mars

Will Sullivan

A portrait of William Shakespeare at the edge of space in a still from the short film Lovers and Madmen

SMART NEWS

Shakespeare's Portrait Travels to Edge of Space

Julia Binswanger

The National Museum of the United States Air Force is on the grounds of Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio.

TRAVEL

How an Ohio Cow Pasture Gave Rise to a Monument to Aviation History

Leo DeLuca

This 20-inch X-wing miniature was used in the original Star Wars film's final battle.

SMART NEWS

X-Wing Model From Original 'Star Wars' Movie Found in a Garage

Ellen Wexler

Exploring Mars

SMART NEWS

A Robotic 'A.I. Chemist' Could Make Oxygen on Mars

November 15, 2023


SMART NEWS

Mars' Core May Be Smaller Than Thought, Wrapped in a Sea of Molten Rock

October 27, 2023


SMART NEWS

Mars' Most Powerful Quake Likely Triggered by Tectonic Forces

October 20, 2023

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