Articles tagged as Space Travel | Smithsonian Magazine

Valentina Tereshkova, the first woman in space. This photo was taken in 1969.

Happy Birthday to the First Woman in Space

She spent almost three days in space on her first flight

March 6, 2017

What thorny ethical issues await us once we make it to Mars? A composite image of the red planet, composed by processing about 1000 Viking Orbiter red- and violet-filter images have been to provide global color coverage at a scale of 1 km/pixel.

Think Big

When Humans Begin Colonizing Other Planets, Who Should Be in Charge?

The biggest threat humans pose to other worlds is what we don’t know—or what we think we know, but don’t

March 1, 2017

Unlike the Apollo spacecraft, Orion will have solar panels to help power longer space journeys, as shown in this concept art of the spacecraft orbiting Earth.

Ask Smithsonian 2017

What’s Really Changed—and What Hasn’t—About Getting Humans to the Moon

NASA’s Orion will combine vintage tech with massive advances in computing power and electronics we’ve made since 1972

February 28, 2017

After orbiting the moon, Columbia made a nationwide tour that ended in 1971 when the command module came to the Smithsonian Institution in Washington D.C.

Apollo 11 Command Module Makes Another Journey

The command module “Columbia” will visit four U.S. museums, leaving DC for the first time in 46 years.

February 22, 2017

This approximate true-color image of the Gusev Crater is one of the three potential landing sites for the Mars 2020 rover.

Life in the Cosmos

Check Out NASA’s Three Options for the 2020 Mars Rover Landing

Scientists have narrowed down potential sites for the next rover to set wheel on the red planet

February 15, 2017

Clocking in at 2.4 billion year old, this space rock is unlike the others.

New Research

A Martian Volcano May Have Continuously Erupted for Billions of Years

A space rock found in Northwest Africa provides new clues to volcanic activity on Mars

February 7, 2017

Astronaut Twin Study Shows How Hard Space Is on the Body

The study’s first results suggest that space travel can cause changes on the molecular level

February 1, 2017

Visit Kennedy Space Center, the Closest Thing to Space on Earth

January 30, 2017

Israeli-based SpaceIL is one of five teams given the green light for the Google LunarX Prize.

Cool Finds

One of These Five Finalists Could Make It to the Moon in 2017

The clock is ticking for a trip to the moon and a $20 million prize

January 25, 2017

From left to right, the astronauts of Apollo 1: Virgil I. Grissom, Edward H. White II, and Roger B. Chaffee.

The Legacy of the Apollo 1 Disaster

Fifty years after a fire killed three astronauts and temporarily grounded U.S. space exploration, a new exhibit honors the fallen crew

January 25, 2017

Get a Front Row Seat to This Year’s Rocket Launches at Kennedy Space Center

This year, up to 20 launches could take off from Florida’s Space Coast

January 19, 2017

The doormouse hibernates to conserve resources in harsh conditions. Similarly, scientists envision humans hibernating to endure long-distance space travel.

Ask Smithsonian 2017

Can Humans Ever Harness the Power of Hibernation?

Scientists want to know if astronauts can hibernate during long spaceflights. First, they need to understand what hibernation is

January 18, 2017

Apollo 17 mission commander Eugene Cernan inside the lunar module on the moon after his second moonwalk of the mission. His spacesuit is covered with lunar dust.

His experience helped make spaceflight safer

January 17, 2017

A special fish tank designed for experiments aboard the International Space Station.

New Research

Fish Don’t Do So Well in Space

The International Space Station’s resident fish shed light on life in microgravity

January 16, 2017

After successfully deploying ten satellites into orbit, the rocket’s first stage adeptly landed on a floating platform

January 16, 2017

Sending teensy satellites into space isn’t just an experiment in cute—it’s an effort to reduce the cost of sending tech into space

January 16, 2017

In May 2018, flight engineer Jeanette J. Epps will begin her mission on the ISS

January 9, 2017

An artist’s conception of the Lucy spacecraft flying by the Trojan asteroid Eurybates (left) and Psyche, the first mission to a metal asteroid (right).

Though the new missions have exciting prospects, some scientists aren’t thrilled by the decision

January 6, 2017

John Glenn stands in the NASA mailroom surrounded by thousands of letters sent to him.

John Glenn and the Sexism of the Early Space Program

Fan mail sent to the astronaut reveals the rigidity of gender roles in the 1960s

December 14, 2016

The Nazi Engineer Who Created the First Ballistic Missile

Wernher Von Braun became interested in space flight from an early age. This lead him to develop of one of the Nazi’s most devastating weapons

December 13, 2016