Spaceflight

Spaceflight covers topics related to human presence in outer space. Learn about weightlessness, astronauts and space tourism in this section.

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Starship is a reusable spacecraft and second-stage rocket built by SpaceX. The end goal of the massive spaceship is to send humans to the moon and eventually to Mars.

By Valerie Stimac

Camden County in South Georgia was once considered as a backup site for launching the Apollo missions. Now this quiet county could be the next big launching site to space.

By John Donovan

Today, Blue Origin flew its billionaire founder Jeff Bezos and three others into space, a week after Virgin Galactic flew its billionaire founder Richard Branson on the same mission. Will space tourism be more than a millionaire's hobby?

By Valerie Stimac

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On July 20, 2021, Wally Funk will blast off. Her trip to space has been delayed since 1961, when the 'Mercury 13' Woman in Space Program was cancelled.

By Michelle Konstantinovsky

What most people remember about Apollo 14 is Alan Shepard hitting golf balls on the moon. But on the same mission, command module pilot Stuart Roosa took seeds to space and back and now they're beautiful trees on Earth.

By Sharise Cunningham

Since Dennis Tito first visited the International Space Station, eight more space tourists have paid between $20 and $30 million to fly through the Russian space program. Will human spaceflight ever get a little cheaper and more democratized?

By Cassandra Steer

Astronauts have been playing live music on the International Space Station since it's been in space. One even impressed the late, great David Bowie with his rendition of "Space Oddity."

By Mark Mancini

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Humans have made it to the moon a number of times so we know how long the journey should take. But sometimes it may be much faster than that.

By Valerie Stimac

Showering every day is likely something you take for granted. But for astronauts on the International Space Station, it's not an easy task.

By Kristen Hall-Geisler

There are four others with this unusual honor. While not every other went from space to the Senate like Mark Kelly, their stories are equally as interesting.

By David Warmflash, M.D.

NASA and other agencies have been studying artificial gravity in hopes they will someday use it to help astronauts combat the effects of weightlessness in space. How close are we to that reality?

By David Warmflash, M.D.

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He stood just 5 feet, 2 inches. But Gagarin cast an enormously long shadow in space exploration, both for his achievements and his mysterious death.

By Nathan Chandler

When you think about space travel, you probably don't take the time to wonder how astronauts go to the bathroom. However, the annals of aeronautic history abound with space bathroom tales. Here are 10 of our favorites.

By Stephanie Watson

For the first time since 2011, NASA will launch astronauts into space from U.S. soil. It will also be the first time ever a private company will get them there.

By Mark Mancini

NASA's historic Beach House on Cape Canaveral is the last place many astronauts visit before they blast off into space. Today it's full of mission memories and NASA artifacts.

By Mark Mancini

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Nobody's nose knows better than NASA's George Aldrich. He's the longest-serving member of the space agency's odor panel, which basically sniffs and smells everything that goes up into space.

By John Donovan

In the early days of the space race, several animals went into orbit, including dogs, chimps and one intrepid cat. Who was this forgotten feline from the French space program?

By Nathan Chandler

We’re celebrating the 50th anniversary of Apollo 11’s historic journey to the moon.

Launching a rocket into space takes all types of precision and physics. And knowing the exact time to get the launch right is a science in itself.

By Mark Mancini

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We know space is awash in ultraviolet radiation. So how are astronauts protected from all those UV rays?

By Mark Mancini

The Shelton family from Texas sent their first bouquet in 1998 after the Challenger disaster. And they haven't stopped since.

By John Donovan

With the Russian Soyuz spacecraft officially out of commission, what does that mean for space exploration? And more importantly, the crew on the International Space Station?

By Mark Mancini

When most people think of NASA, they probably think of astronauts and the Kennedy Space Center. But there's a whole lot more to this 60-year-old organization.

By Craig Freudenrich, Ph.D. & Patrick J. Kiger

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A Japanese billionaire art collector is the lucky ticket holder and he plans to invite a few artists to tag along — for free.

By Mark Mancini

NASA astronauts have to undergo serious training before becoming approved for a trip to space. But some of that training is certainly not what you'd expect.

By Mark Mancini