Space

Where I live it is pretty common to see "shooting stars" -- streaks of light in the sky at night. How big is a shooting star? Do they land on earth or do they burn up? Do they land on the ground as meteorites?

What is a solar sail? How can you use sunlight to move a spacecraft in outer space? In this article, HowStuffWorks will show you how solar sail technology works, take an in-depth look at the Cosmos-1 mission and find out what solar-sails mean for future space travel.

By Kevin Bonsor

The sun warms our planet every day, provides the light by which we see and is necessary for life on Earth. But what is it exactly, and what will happen when it burns itself out?

By Julia Layton & Craig Freudenrich, Ph.D.

When you look up at night and see thousands of stars, have you ever wondered what you are looking at? Learn what stars are and how they live and die!

By Craig Freudenrich, Ph.D.

The Chandler wobble is the change in the spin of Earth on its axis. Think of the wobble you see in a toy top when it first starts spinning or slows down. Its 'poles' do not spin in a perfectly straight line.

Scientists are now developing a new type of composite material that will allow spacecraft to repair themselves. Learn more about this amazing future technology.

By Kevin Bonsor

What is a solar sail? How can you use sunlight to move a spacecraft in outer space? In this article, HowStuffWorks will show you how solar sail technology works, take an in-depth look at the Cosmos-1 mission and find out what solar-sails mean for future space travel.

By Craig Freudenrich, Ph.D.

Since its inception in the late '50s, NASA has accomplished some amazing technical feats. But what are some of the agency's greatest moments?

By Julia Layton & Mark Mancini

Blasting a spacecraft into space is one thing. Bringing it back in one piece is another. Spacecraft are likely to burn up into bits if they aren't specially insulated and designed for the ride.

By Jane McGrath

Believe it or not, to get to space and back, NASA relies on a piece of technology that's been around for centuries. Just what is a gimbal, anyway?

By Jonathan Strickland

These outer space abodes will have to protect inhabitants from extreme temperatures, radiation and flying moon dust. One man is actually selling deeds for lunar property at $20 a pop. Seriously?

By Cristen Conger

This passive-aggressive peacetime contest between the USSR and the U.S. unofficially ended with the U.S. moon landing. But the Soviets also touted a long list of space race accomplishments. Who won?

By Cristen Conger

Kids from around the world flock to Huntsville, Ala., to attend Space Camp. What's so appealing about science class in the summer, and can a 40-year-old go to camp?

By Julia Layton

When astronauts talk moonwalking, they don't mean the Michael Jackson dance move. Spacewalks take an entire day of preparation -- and a 240-pound space suit.

By John Fuller

There's no livestock in space farming, but growing plants in space could allow for long-term exploration and settlements. And with this farm, you don't need to watch where you step.

By Jessika Toothman

The changing phases of the moon have given us an enduring curiosity about the dark side of the moon. But is there really a dark side of the moon? What would we see there?

By Jonathan Strickland

Imagine parallel parking on slippery ice during a dangerous dust storm. Landing on Mars presents similar obstacles, on a grander scale. And remember, insurance doesn't cover extraterrestrial damage.

By Jessika Toothman

The Voyager space probes took dazzling pictures of planets no one had ever seen. And they're still on the move, carrying golden records with a message for aliens -- complete with bagpipes and Louis Armstrong.

By Ed Grabianowski

The moon is often the largest object in the sky outside of the sun. What is the moon made of, how did it form -- and why do people blame it for their strange behavior?

By Craig Freudenrich, Ph.D.

Traveling faster than the speed of light, you could go anywhere in minutes -- at least, in the "Star Trek" universe. Is this sci-fi device theoretically possible?

By John Fuller

How do you eat when you're in a low-gravity environment? Space programs have come up ingenious contraptions and packaging methods to make astronauts' meal times as normal as possible.

By Stephanie Watson

The Apollo program was initiated with the goal of landing a man on the moon. What was the spacecraft that helped make this giant leap for mankind?

By Jonathan Strickland

It was a small step for a man, a giant leap for mankind. But some people say that the moon landings never happened at all. Why all the conspiracy theories?

By John Fuller

Asteroid belts aren't quite the dense fields of gigantic spinning rocks that you may have seen in a "Star Wars" film, but they're still fascinating. In fact, the main asteroid belt may tell us how our entire solar system came into existence.

By John Fuller

Project Gemini played an important step in NASA's efforts to put a man on the moon. How did the Gemini spacecraft carry two astronauts into space and back safely?

By Jonathan Strickland