Space exploration, one of the greatest technological achievements in human history, has included the Apollo missions, the launch of the Hubble Telescope and the Space Shuttle missions, among others. These endeavors have been carried out by determined and courageous men and women.
Yes, there was rocket science. But there were also extraordinary amounts of low-tech weaving, stitching and caulking.
These ground-breaking female mathematicians, engineers and scientists produced calculations crucial to the success of NASA's early space missions.
Since the Apollo missions began, space programs have offered a unique perspective on our home planet.
On January 28, 1986, seven lives were lost when safety concerns were not communicated amid pressure to proceed with the launch.
In 1958, NASA was founded and quickly took up the goal of sending a man into Earth's orbit -- and safely returning him home. Seven men were chosen for Project Mercury, embarking on years of training to prepare for a journey no one had made before.
Buzz Aldrin is a former American fighter pilot and astronaut best known for his involvement in the historic Apollo 11 mission that first put a man on the moon.
Neil Armstrong (1930-2012) was an American astronaut who became the first human to walk on the moon on July 20, 1969, as part of the Apollo 11 mission.
In 1969, Michael Collins was part of the historic Apollo 11 mission in 1969. Known as the "forgotten astronaut," Collins remained in the command module as Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin walked on the moon.
Apollo 13 was the seventh manned mission in the Apollo Space program (1961-1975) and the third lunar landing mission, though the three astronauts aboard never reached the moon and scrambled to survive what became a hair-raising rescue mission.
Earthlings have entertained many theories about the moon throughout history.
As new research casts doubt on a leading theory about how the moon came into being, explore various lunar formation models.
The U.S.-Soviet space race had many notable successes, but some deadly catastrophes, too.
Look back at the controversial decision to give Pluto the pink slip and shrink the solar system from nine planets to eight.
On the 25th anniversary of the launch of Buran, look back at the one and only flight of the Soviet version of the space shuttle.
It was supposed to be the third-ever moon landing. It turned into a rescue mission.
As NASA’s rover Curiosity continues the quest to find life on Mars, explore five key events that piqued the public interest in the Red Planet.
These ground-breaking female mathematicians, engineers and scientists produced calculations crucial to the success of NASA's early space missions.
At the beginning of the U.S. space program, NASA's selection process sought men who weren't too tall, could handle pressure and isolation.
NASA's InSight mission, which will dig into the planet's core, is the latest to explore for signs of life on the red planet.
Though far less famous than later non-human astronauts, the first animals in space were a group of fruit flies, launched to an altitude of 42 miles at the tip of a V-2 rocket, developed and used by the Germans during World War II and later by American military scientists on February 20, 1947. The flies, […]
Our fascination with alien life on the red planet began long ago.