Space Exploration

It's been more than 50 years since humans first landed on the moon. Pull up a lunar module and let's see how much you know about Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, Michael Collins and the adventure that immortalized them.

By Mark Mancini

He was responsible for some of humanity's greatest achievements, and his name now graces a massive NASA project. But how did a law degree lead to being a space pioneer?

By Nathan Chandler

Fling away your Fodor's! Toss your TripAdvisor! We have the only guided tour of outer space you'll need -- a foray into the final frontier so ambitious it will make the Voyager probes' Grand Tours look like daytrips.

By Nicholas Gerbis

Human beings have only gone as far as the moon and back -- and that's certainly an accomplishment in and of itself. But what other methods do scientists use to learn about our galaxy and beyond? What have we achieved so far in our exploration of the final frontier?

By Rick Mayda

NASA's DART spacecraft hit its mark Monday, Sept. 26 after years of planning. The bullseye was asteroid Dimorphos. Here's what NASA hopes to learn now.

By Patrick J. Kiger

One of the three-man crew of Apollo 11, the mission that first set foot on the moon, Michael Collins was a true American hero.

By Mark Mancini

Using the Chandra X-ray Observatory, a team of scientists discovered what could very well be the first exoplanet outside the Milky Way. It's massive and might even orbit a black hole.

By Valerie Stimac

People around the world watched as Neil Armstrong touched the moon and declared, "That's one small step for man; one giant leap for mankind." But how did we put a man on the moon?

By Stephanie Watson

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

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

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 Hubble Space Telescope is one of the most amazing machines in orbit right now. Learn more about the Hubble Space Telescope and how it works.

By Craig Freudenrich, Ph.D. & Sarah Goddard

Mars Odyssey is NASA's latest Mars spacecraft, and it's going to the red planet in search of water. Learn how this orbiter could pave the way for manned missions to Mars!

By Kevin Bonsor

The Voyager spacecraft use 23-watt radios. This is higher than the 3 watts a typical cell phone uses, but in the grand scheme of things it is still a low-power transmitter. The key to receiving the signals is therefore not the power of the radio, but a combination of three other things.

If the Earth is struck by calamity, will survivors find salvation in the proposed Doomsday Ark? The lunar-based vault will contain information that could help jumpstart a new civilization.

By Julia Layton

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

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

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

Sure, the shuttles may be sitting around in museums now, but our journey to space is far from over. Get ready to meet some serious contenders in the new space race.

By Nicholas Gerbis

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