A small aluminum ball that orbited the planet for three months in the 1950s had a profound influence over your life. If it hadn't, you wouldn't be reading this now. See more »

Internet search giant Google is known for innovation. But now it's sponsoring the Lunar X Prize, in which private teams compete to land on the moon. Why? See more »

In the 1960s, space food was either cubed or tubed, and it wasn't very appetizing. Today's astronauts have a more palatable array from which to choose. Where is it developed? See more »

The space race between the United States and the former Soviet Union began in the early 1950s. What followed was an era of cooperation between the United States, and now Russian, space programs with the building and operation of the International Space Station. See more »

The not-so-distant future, regular people will be able to take flights into space. So how do you score a spot on a Virgin Galactic flight? See more »

As the International Space Station astronauts return to Earth after a three-month stay, learn about the effects of weightlessness on the body. See more »

Jeff Bezos made his fortune selling books online. So the next obvious step was to build rockets. Right? How does Blue Origin, Bezos' space travel company, stand up to the other commercial space racers? See more »

Almost everyone dreams of floating effortlessly like astronauts in space. The Zero Gravity Corporation offers this experience to the public. Go inside G-FORCE-ONE to find out what it's like to somersault in zero gravity and how simulating weightlessness works. See more »

If you had the money, would you pay $200,000 to launch into space? For at least one couple, the answer is yes. But is a space tour safe for the average citizen? See more »

Astronauts have a reputation for being the brave and skilled few willing to risk their lives by strapping themselves aboard a rocket and blasting into outer space. How much do you know about this dangerous job? See more »