Skip to main content

Subscribe to Smithsonian magazine and get a FREE tote.

Space / Video

Preview thumbnail for The Ultimate Skywatching Guide for Every Season

The Ultimate Skywatching Guide for Every Season

Whether you’re a passionate astronomer or a beginner eager to explore the cosmos, join us as we deep-dive into seasonal skywatching. Gain valuable insights into identifying meteors, stars, and fascinating …

Preview thumbnail for Inside the Epic Artemis Moon Missions

Inside the Epic Artemis Moon Missions

The Artemis program represents the pinnacle of NASA’s mind-boggling technological capabilities. Learn about the groundbreaking achievements and breathtaking lunar landscapes that await us in this new era of space exploration. …

Preview thumbnail for The Space Launch System is the Most Powerful Rocket Ever Built

The Space Launch System is the Most Powerful Rocket Ever Built

“We want to go far fast” says former astronaut and NASA Administrator Charles Bolden, explaining that NASA’s return to the moon will require a rocket more powerful than the ones …

Preview thumbnail for How a 'Non-Hazardous' NASA Mission Turned Deadly

How a ‘Non-Hazardous’ NASA Mission Turned Deadly

In 1967, a horrific fire broke out during a routine pre-launch test for the Apollo 1 mission at Cape Kennedy, Florida. It would claim the lives of three NASA astronauts

Preview thumbnail for How the Common Cold Affected the Crew of Apollo 7

How the Common Cold Affected the Crew of Apollo 7

Things were not going well aboard Apollo 7: The astronauts felt stressed by the confines of the command module, and to top it off, astronaut Wally Schirra developed a painful …

Preview thumbnail for Apollo 13's Intense Comms Blackout

Apollo 13’s Intense Comms Blackout

A damaged Apollo 13 was about to re-enter Earth’s atmosphere amid a communications blackout. It would become the longest re-entry blackout in the history of the space program

Preview thumbnail for A Moon Sample Reveals a Surprising Link to Earth

A Moon Sample Reveals a Surprising Link to Earth

“Big Bertha” was one of the moon rocks brought back by the Apollo 14 crew for geological analysis. What it revealed stunned scientists

Preview thumbnail for The Design of the Lunar Rover Was Mostly Guesswork

The Design of the Lunar Rover Was Mostly Guesswork

NASA began working on lunar vehicles in the early 1960s—but the project relied more on guesswork than engineering precision. After all, no one had any idea what being on the …

Preview thumbnail for Five Kitchen Objects Inspired by NASA

Five Kitchen Objects Inspired by Nasa

Did you know that some of the technologies we take for granted in our kitchens were actually developed by NASA? Here are five of the best, from water filters to …

Preview thumbnail for The Riskiest Maneuver in the History of the Space Program

The Riskiest Maneuver in the History of the Space Program

The success of the Apollo 8 mission hinged on a unique and terrifying maneuver: slowing the spacecraft enough to enter lunar orbit. Even the slightest mistake would have meant certain …

Preview thumbnail for NASA's First Chimp in Space

NASA’s First Chimp in Space

As part of Project Mercury, NASA prepared to send a chimpanzee, Ham, into space to test the effects of space on a living creature.

Preview thumbnail for The Training Regimen of NASA's First Astronauts

The Training Regimen of NASA’s First Astronauts

The first class of NASA astronauts, dubbed the ‘Mercury 7,’ were put through a series of rigorous tests to prepare them for space, from heat chambers to to simulated weightlessness. …

Preview thumbnail for Scientists Reveal First-Ever Photograph of a Black Hole

Scientists Reveal First-Ever Photograph of a Black Hole

After years of planning by over 200 international scientists, the data purported to show the first ever image of a black hole is ready. The team gathers for the big …

Preview thumbnail for How One Picture Would Prove Black Holes Actually Exist

How One Picture Would Prove Black Holes Actually Exist

Many scientists believe that black holes make sense in the realm of theoretical physics, but couldn’t really exist in real life. Capturing an image of a black hole would change …

Preview thumbnail for This Apollo 8 Astronaut Took the Famous "Earthrise" Photo

This Apollo 8 Astronaut Took the Famous “Earthrise” Photo

Vying with the Russians for space supremacy, the U.S. successfully launches Apollo 8. Once in orbit, astronaut William Anders takes one of the most legendary photographs of all time.

Preview thumbnail for We're All Made of Stardust. Here's How.

We’re All Made of Stardust. Here’s How.

13.8 billion years ago, the universe began with a big bang and the atoms it created would find their way into everything: from celestial stars to the human body.

Preview thumbnail for Stephen Hawking's Stark Warning for Humans to Leave Earth

Stephen Hawking’s Stark Warning for Humans to Leave Earth

In one of his final on-camera appearances, iconic physicist Stephen Hawking issued a warning to humanity about the existential threats we face and how our survival depends on colonizing another …

Preview thumbnail for This Science Experiment Could Help Us Live on Another Planet

This Science Experiment Could Help Us Live on Another Planet

In 1991, eight people spent two years living in giant, sealed-off glass domes, deep in the Arizona desert. This project, known as Biosphere 2, could be an important case study …

Preview thumbnail for Inside Look at the Mars Simulation Project in Utah

Inside Look at the Mars Simulation Project in Utah

Billionaire Elon Musk has donated money to the Mars Society in Utah. Its purpose is to help scientists prepare for the incredibly hostile conditions on the Red Planet.

Preview thumbnail for Richard Branson Speaks on Plan for Space Tourism

Richard Branson Speaks on Plan for Space Tourism

Billionaire Richard Branson has set up Virgin Galactic as part of his dream to conquer the final frontier. But it’s also a bet that could land him at the forefront …

Preview thumbnail for The Moon Landing Was the Television Event of the Decade

The Moon Landing Was the Television Event of the Decade

On July 16, 1969, Americans filled highways, streets and homes to witness the launch of a rocket from the Kennedy Space Center: the legendary, moon-bound Apollo 11.

Preview thumbnail for These Astronauts Drink Recycled Urine to Stay Hydrated

These Astronauts Drink Recycled Urine to Stay Hydrated

Astronauts themselves are important sources of water in outer space. With the help of a special centrifuge, their urine is distilled, then processed to provide clean drinking water.

Preview thumbnail for How NASA Cut Costs With a New Kind of Spacecraft

How NASA Cut Costs With a New Kind of Spacecraft

With budgets for space exploration falling toward the end of the 1960s, NASA began to make plans for a new kind of reusable spacecraft to save money: the space shuttle.

Preview thumbnail for Space Archaeologist Sarah Parcak Uses Satellites to Uncover Ancient Egyptian Ruins

Video: Space Archaeologist Sarah Parcak Uses Satellites to Uncover Ancient Egyptian Ruins

Sarah Parcak | Smithsonian Magazine’s 2016 American Ingenuity Award Winner for History This tech-savvy researcher of our past uses satellites and other remote-sensing tools to discover and explore stunning new …

Preview thumbnail for Meet the Team of Scientists Who Discovered Gravitational Waves

Video: Meet the Team of Scientists Who Discovered Gravitational Waves

Kip Thorne, Rainer Weiss, Barry Barish and Ronald Drever | Smithsonian Magazine’s 2016 American Ingenuity Award Winners for Physical Sciences In February, physicists announced the first-ever detection of gravitational waves—a …

Preview thumbnail for Is Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin the Future of Space Exploration?

Is Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin the Future of Space Exploration?

Jeff Bezos | Smithsonian Magazine’s 2016 American Ingenuity Award Winner for Technology The Princeton-educated Amazon founder, Washington Post owner and new-economy pioneer also helms an innovative spaceflight company, Blue Origin, …

Preview thumbnail for Behold: The World's Largest Radio Telescope

Behold: The World’s Largest Radio Telescope

The Atacama Large Millimeter Array, located in the Atacama Desert, is the product of a 20-year global effort by Europe, North America, and East Asia. With its 66 antennas sitting …

Preview thumbnail for ALMA Reveals Planets Born Earlier Than We Thought

ALMA Reveals Planets Born Earlier Than We Thought

In 2014, astronomer David Wilmer aimed the ALMA Array at a young star 450 light years away. What he found proved that planets formed billions of years earlier than what …

Preview thumbnail for This Puerto Rican Telescope Was Built in a Massive Sinkhole

This Puerto Rican Telescope Was Built in a Massive Sinkhole

In 1958, the Pentagon wanted to build a 1,000-foot-long telescope for its ballistic missile program. They ended up building it inside a massive Puerto Rican sinkhole.

Preview thumbnail for The 1960s Conspiracy That Inspired Spielberg

The 1960s Conspiracy That Inspired Spielberg

When policemen spotted a “flying saucer” in 1966, an official investigation declared it was an optical illusion created by swamp gas. But some say that’s just what the government wanted …

Preview thumbnail for Ask Smithsonian: What’s Up With Saturn’s Rings?

Ask Smithsonian: What’s Up With Saturn’s Rings?

Despite being just one minute long, this Ask Smithsonian video hosted by Eric Schulze is crammed full of strange things you never knew – but should – about Saturn’s rings. …

Preview thumbnail for Three Kinds of Close Encounters

Three Kinds of Close Encounters

As the head of the US Air Force’s official UFO investigation, Dr. Hynek was supposed to use his classification system to debunk so-called “close encounters.” Instead, he became a true …

Page 1 of 3