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Space Travel

Christa McAuliffe in her NASA uniform

Christa McAuliffe’s Life Ended in Tragedy on the ‘Challenger’ Shuttle. Here’s How the High School Teacher Was Chosen for the Ill-Fated Flight

NASA’s “Teacher in Space” added joy to many Americans’ lives and increased excitement for the future of spaceflight, though she never reached her destination

The meteorites could open up a new avenue to understand Mercury, pictured, which is notoriously hard to study due to its proximity to the sun.

Scientists Have Never Confirmed a Meteorite From Mercury. Could These Space Rocks From the Desert Be the First?

Two meteorites found in the Sahara show tantalizing similarities to the innermost planet, and while researchers say they are likely not direct samples, “one cannot rule out” the idea

An illustration shows a satellite damaged by space debris. Objects that don’t burn up in the atmosphere can pose a danger when they fall back to Earth.

With Space Junk on the Rise, Is a Catastrophic Event Inevitable?

Debris from rockets and satellites can fall back to Earth or collide with other objects, and wreckage that burns up can harm the ozone layer

Ispace posted a video of Resilience circling the moon shortly before it lost contact with the lander. 

The Resilience Spacecraft Likely Crashed on the Moon

Early reports suggest that an issue with the Japanese lander’s sensors prevented it from sufficiently slowing down

An artist's rendition of Resilience on the lunar surface, where it is scheduled to touchdown later today. 

Ispace’s Resilience Spacecraft Is Set to Land on the Moon Today—Here’s How to Follow Along

The Japanese company’s second attempt at a lunar landing can be streamed live this afternoon

Noctilucent clouds over the Baltic Sea, as seen from Germany in 2019. Typically seen in polar regions, the clouds are increasingly appearing at mid- and low latitudes.

NASA Wants Your Help to Study These Rare, High-Altitude Clouds That Appear to Glow at Sunrise and Sunset

Noctilucent clouds usually form close to the poles, but in recent decades, they’re being spotted closer to the Equator

An artistic rendering of one of the Voyager probes.

NASA Engineers Revive Long-Dormant Thrusters on Voyager 1, the Farthest Spacecraft From Earth, in a ‘Miracle Save’

In the nick of time, NASA teams addressed clogging issues in the probe’s backup roll thrusters, before the only antenna capable of sending commands to it went offline

The asteroid Donaldjohanson, captured by NASA's Lucy spacecraft on Sunday. 

NASA’s Lucy Spacecraft Just Flew by a Strange, Peanut-Shaped Asteroid. See the New Images From the Approach

The close-up views of asteroid Donaldjohanson are a preview of what’s to come for Lucy on its 12-year quest to study Jupiter’s Trojan asteroids

A rendering of a Sunbird rocket detaching from its station to dock onto an approaching spacecraft.

Fusion Rockets Could Theoretically Cut Our Travel Time to Mars in Half. This U.K. Startup Wants to Give It a Try

The company’s ambitious new Sunbird design aims to harness nuclear fusion in space, despite the fact that commercializing such energy on Earth remains a faraway dream

A 70mm IMAX camera used to shoot The Dream is Alive, now in the National Air and Space Museum's collection

In the 1980s, This Special Camera Helped Turn Astronauts Into Cinematographers to Shoot the First Imax Movie Ever Filmed in Space

The groundbreaking work, “The Dream Is Alive,” celebrates its 40th anniversary this year

The far side of the moon—seen here, captured by NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter—could be much drier than expected.

The Moon’s Far Side Is Strangely Dry—Lunar Samples Suggest It’s Much More Parched Than the Side That Faces Earth

Chinese researchers analyzed the first-ever soil samples returned from the far side of the moon, but further samples will be needed to verify their findings

The three-foot-tall model has an aluminum skeleton covered in latex, foam, straw, acrylic paint and adhesive.

The Body Model Used During a Famous Scene in ‘E.T.’ Is Heading to Auction

Created by Italian special effects designer Carlo Rambaldi, the three-foot-tall prop can be seen in the film hiding among stuffed animals in 10-year-old Elliott’s closet

The Fram2 mission captured this view of polar ice from orbit.

Four Civilian Astronauts Capture Imagery of Earth’s Icy Poles on Fram2, the First Crewed Mission to Polar Orbit

The mission, funded and commanded by a cryptocurrency entrepreneur, was launched by SpaceX on Monday and has grabbed headlines for its flight path

Spectrum launched from the Andøya Space Center in Norway before plumetting into the icy sea.

First Orbital Rocket Launched From Western Europe Crashes Into Sea After Roughly 30-Second Flight

Isar Aerospace, the company behind the rocket, is still heralding the launch as a success due to the data it provided

For the first time, the "Mission MushVroom" experiment on SpaceX's Fram2 mission will attempt to grow mushrooms in space.

SpaceX Astronauts Will Try Growing the First Mushrooms in Space on Upcoming Fram2 Mission Over Earth’s Poles

Described as the “perfect space crop,” the nutritious and ready-to-eat fungus could be a key stepping stone toward fueling crew members during long-term spaceflight

How do space programs get their names?

How Do Space Programs Get Their Names? And More Questions From Our Readers

You’ve got questions. We’ve got experts

The Crew-9 members—Butch Wimore, Nick Hague, and Suni Williams of NASA and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov—stand inside the vestibule between the ISS and their spacecraft on February 19.

After Nine Months in Space, the Starliner Astronauts Are Finally Coming Home. Here’s How to Watch Live

Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore are making a 17-hour journey from the International Space Station and will splash down near Florida this evening

A "diamond ring" appears around the Earth, as seen by the Blue Ghost lander on the moon.

See Last Week’s Stunning Eclipse From the Moon in Photos Captured by the Blue Ghost Lander, Now at the End of Its Mission

The spacecraft carried out the longest commercial operation on the moon to date—and also made history during its rare chance to document this celestial event

Astronaut Ed White conducts the first U.S. spacewalk on June 3, 1965

Two Trailblazing Spacewalks in 1965 Opened the Door to Decades of Astronauts Pushing the Limits of Their Capabilities

Since those early steps, extravehicular activity has helped provide the solutions to many problems that astronauts face in space

The two astronauts have been helping with ongoing research and maintenance, assisting with experiments on everything from space agriculture to physical health studies in microgravity.

Why NASA and SpaceX’s Mission to Relieve Starliner Astronauts Is Delayed Again

After an unexpected nine months in orbit, astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore are waiting for the arrival of Crew-10 before they head home. That launch is now expected for Friday

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