Space Exploration

The history of space exploration is full of firsts: first animal in space, first human on the moon, first probe to reach mars. But as they say, you've got to look before you leap. So what was the first telescope launched into space?

By Kate Kershner

If you consider throwing down a welcome mat on the porch of the International Space Station the same as living "elsewhere," then yes. But what about the moon and destinations beyond?

By William Harris

Outer planets in our solar system have atmospheres made up of flammable chemicals that can cause explosions on Earth. Could a rocketship, or electric spark, ignite them?

By Patrick J. Kiger

Elton's always maintained that Mars ain't the kind of place to raise your kids. Is he right?

By Julia Layton

Missions to Mars are increasing and the dream of landing a human on the red planet is no longer far-fetched — it might even happen in the next decade. So, how long does it take to get there?

By Valerie Stimac

Surprisingly, the solar system isn't odorless — it has a distinct scent that some astronauts like and others think is stinky. So, what does it smell like and why?

By Valerie Stimac

From time to time, we all gaze up at the stars and wonder about outer space. It can be an incredibly mind-blowing, beautiful, fascinating, exciting and even scary place to think about, as it is so incomprehensibly vast and unexplored and it contains so many secrets. We seemingly discover new things about outer space each […] The post 8 Mind-Bending Facts About Outer Space appeared first on Goliath.

By Jonny Hughes

Kepler-186f was the first Earth-sized planet found within its star's habitable zone. But there's still a lot we don't know about it.

By Melanie Radzicki McManus

Gliese 581c was one of the first "Earth-like" planets found, back in 2007. It generated a lot of excitement then but what about now?

By Kathryn Whitbourne

The coldest place in the universe exists some 5,000 light-years from Earth. Do you know where it is and what it's called?

By Valerie Stimac

Debris on Mars comes from three main sources: inactive spacecraft, discarded hardware and crashed spacecraft. What risk does this trash pose to current and future missions?

By Cagri Kilic

The two passengers might not be human, but they have a job to do. They're manning Artemis I to be zero gravity indicators.

By Kristen Hall-Geisler

Lettuce has key nutrients that give both astronauts and Earth-dwellers alike a physical and psychological boost. And the lettuce grown in space is no less nutritious than the Earth-bound variety.

By Katie Carman

A new kind of survival story: Scientists discovered a star that came near a black hole and lived to tell the tale – at least temporarily.

By Nathan Chandler

A distant asteroid made mostly of iron is potentially worth $10,000 quadrillion, making it many times more valuable than the global economy.

By Patrick J. Kiger

The groundbreaking Saturn mission has come to an end, protecting Saturn's moon in its final plunge.

By Ian O'Neill, Ph.D.

Will this groundbreaking clock revolutionize space travel? NASA is banking on it.

By Mark Mancini

And one of the exoplanets in the Teegarden star system could have a temperature range between 32 and 122 degrees Fahrenheit.

By Ian O'Neill, Ph.D.

While alcohol consumption is not completely alien to the space program, not much is known about its effects on the body outside our atmosphere.

By Patrick J. Kiger

You know Apollo 11. But what did the other Apollo missions accomplish after Neil Armstrong made his giant leap for mankind?

By Mark Mancini

NASA's Mars rover Opportunity's last words were: "My battery is low and it's getting dark."

By Patrick J. Kiger

After the Soviet Union launched Sputnik I in 1957, the space race was on. And what followed was decades of secrecy that dominated its space program.

By Clint Pumphrey

And it's just a galactic hop, skip and a jump away.

By Ian O'Neill, Ph.D.

We don't know the answer to how many civilizations might exist in the universe. But we do know the factors that allow life on Earth. Are there other planets that fit the bill? Oh yes indeed.

By Kate Kershner

NASA's James Webb Space Telescope will look back in time to see the earliest stars in creation, and serve as the premier deep space observatory for the next decade. Ready to meet the mighty Webb?

By Nicholas Gerbis & Sarah Gleim