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NASA

Gene Kranz (in vest, as Apollo 13 safely splashed down) had faith that "as a group, we were smart enough ... to get out of any problem.

How Gene Kranz’s Apollo 13 Vest Boosted Morale For His Team

The NASA flight director famously wore a homemade white vest as he averted tragedy during one of Apollo’s most harrowing missions

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Worst NASA Posters Ever

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Science on my Phone

The Lunar Electric Rover is a prototype for the vehicle that NASA hopes to send with astronauts to the moon by 2020.

NASA’s New Lunar Rover

The Smithsonian Institution pitches in to help NASA prepare for its next lunar mission with a new “home on wheels”

The NASA mission, called Stardust, brought back the only material—other than moon rocks—taken directly from a extraterrestrial body.

The Secrets Within Cosmic Dust

Dust captured by a spacecraft from a comet’s tail holds clues to the origin of the solar system

The robotic Cassini spacecraft which is now orbiting Saturn looked back toward the eclipsed Sun and saw a view unlike any other.

Fantastic Photos of our Solar System

In the past decade, extraordinary space missions have found water on Mars, magnetic storms on Mercury and volcanoes on the moons of Saturn

The 11 minutes of powered descent to the lunar surface was Buzz Aldrin's most memorable moment in the lunar module.

Q and A: Astronaut Buzz Aldrin on the Moon

Buzz Aldrin, the second man to walk on the moon, reflects on the Apollo 11 mission

Although the lander may appear “flimsy and gangly,” says NASM curator Allan Needell, the craft represents “a very pure design built for a very specific mission.”

Apollo 11’s Giant Leap for Mankind

When the lunar module landed on the moon, it provided an unforgettable moment for the millions watching back on Earth

After camping out for days, tourists look up into the sky as Apollo 11 rocketed into space.

Moonwalk Launch Party

The launch 40 years ago of Apollo 11, which put a man on the moon, brought Americans together during a time of nationwide unrest

Suits like these worn in 1966 by Buzz Aldrin and Jim Lovell (right) were made to resist the extreme conditions of space travel for only a short period.

After Space, Saving Suits, Boots and Gloves

The spacesuits that kept U.S. astronauts alive now owe their survival to one woman

The ATHLETE, one of NASA’s prototype vehicles recently tested at Moses Lake, Washington, is a six-legged robot, an all-terrain vehicle that sports wheels at the end of each limb that allow the robot to navigate as a rover.

Debating Manned Moon Missions

Experts provide opposing viewpoints on manned missions to space

“Crew comforts” are of utmost importance to NASA engineer Robert Howard Jr., who designs lunar living quarters.

Lunar Living

The quest to return to the moon ignites new hope and vision at the 50-year-old space agency

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Last Page: Moonstruck

You can’t believe everything you think

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Painted Ladies in Space

High schoolers ask: would metamorphosis aboard a space shuttle mission yield normal butterflies?

Chandra X-ray space observatory of the NASA

A Stellar Imagemaker

Smithsonian and NASA’s Chandra x-ray observatory sheds new light on the mysteries of the universe

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NASA Goes Ballistic

The space agency crashed a satellite on the moon in a search for water. It wants to “shoot” a comet.

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