Articles tagged as Space Travel | Smithsonian Magazine

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Why Do Astronauts on the International Space Station Float and More Questions From Our Readers

You asked, we answered

November 2015

Cool Finds

Invader Tags European Space Agency With Alien Art

The anonymous street artist strikes again

October 14, 2015

Trending Today

Here’s how NASA Wants to get to Mars

NASA unveils roadmap to building a Mars colony

October 12, 2015

Terraforming the planet with thermonuclear weapons: Best idea ever or disaster waiting to happen?

September 11, 2015

The Aquaporin filter is simple and light.

The Innovative Spirit

A New Efficient Filter Helps Astronauts Drink Their Own Urine

Recycling water is key to getting humans to Mars

September 11, 2015

Cool Finds

NASA Has Specific Rules For Naming Its Spacecraft

From Project Mercury to Space Shuttle Atlantis.

September 11, 2015

Should colonists on the Red Planet be free from Earth’s influence from the get-go?

August 27, 2015

Cool Finds

There’s Now Whiskey On the ISS

(But astronauts can’t drink it)

August 26, 2015

One glorious memorial (The Moon on August 2, 2015 with the International Space Station just visible as a silhouette)

Cool Finds

Go to the Moon for Less than $10,000! One Catch: Dead People Only

It’s the cheapest option yet for choosing the Moon as a final resting place

August 18, 2015

Someday soon, the hot new European vacation spot could have a great view of the planet Earth

August 14, 2015

Aldrin was became the second human to walk on the Moon on July 20, 1969.

Cool Finds

Astronauts Fill Out Customs Forms, Too

Read Buzz Aldrin’s expense report and customs form from his Apollo 11 mission to the moon

August 6, 2015

Cool Finds

Astronauts Have Some Weird Pre-Launch Traditions

Rituals are important when you’re about to rocket into space

August 4, 2015

A mosaic of Mars from Mariner 6 and Mariner 7

Cool Finds

How NASA Dealt With Images of an Alien Planet in the 1960s

The alien planet was Mars and the process was just a bit simpler than it is today

August 3, 2015

The Virgin Galactic SpaceShip2 (VSS Enterprise) glides toward Earth on its first test flight after being released from its WhiteKnight2 (VMS Eve) mothership over Mojave, California October 10, 2010. The craft was piloted by engineer and test pilot Pete Siebold from Scaled Composites.

Investigators say space plane didn’t have enough safeguards

July 29, 2015

Silly humans, Pluto is a dog, not a planet.

Of Course Some People Think NASA’s Pluto Pictures Are Fake

Or at least doctored to exclude evidence of alien life.

July 20, 2015

Mission operations manager Alice Bowman shares the real secret behind the Pluto flyby in December 2014.

These Pictures Give a Rare Glimpse Into the Heart of the Pluto Flyby

Spanning the full 9.5 years of the mission to date, the images by Michael Soluri capture the people behind the epic close encounter

July 17, 2015

Exaggerating the colors on Pluto and Charon helps mission scientists see distinct terrains on each icy world.

Where Will the New Horizons Probe Go After Pluto?

The historic flyby may be over, but the spacecraft should still go on to study even smaller bodies on its path through the Kuiper belt

July 15, 2015

Pluto as seen by New Horizons on July 13, when the spacecraft was about 476,000 miles from the surface.

The New Horizons Probe Has Made Its Closest Approach to Pluto

Mission scientists have received the confirmation signal that the pre-programmed event went as planned and the craft is healthy

July 14, 2015

New Research

Pluto Probe Finds Surprises Ahead of Its Close Encounter

From dark poles to weird “whales”, New Horizons is giving us a taste of the historic science we can expect from its visit to Pluto

July 8, 2015

Recent losses have left other SpaceX customers in limbo

July 2, 2015