Spacecraft
Sub-orbital, orbital, lunar, interplanetary and interstellar vehicles designed to navigate space- Explore more »
Summer at the Smithsonian
Planning a visit to the Museum? We provide some helpful hints.
July 2012 |
By Rebecca Maksel
Hurry-Up Satellites
These Pentagon mavericks want to launch spacecraft within a week of taking the order. Wish them luck.
July 2012 |
By Todd Neff
The Inquisitive Astronaut
Don Pettit turns his curiosity—and his camera—loose on board the International Space Station.
May 23, 2012 |
By The Editors
The Flight of the Dragon
If things go according to plan Saturday, the world will witness SpaceX launch its first Dragon cargo supply mission to the International Space Station.
May 15, 2012 |
By Paul D. Spudis
The first thing we do, let’s kill all the lawyers*
The legal status and ownership of resources harvested from space are unclear. How does such uncertainty affect our plans to exploit them?
May 01, 2012 |
By Paul D. Spudis
Analogy for Space: Aviation or Seafaring?
Is space travel more like aviation or sea faring? It depends on your mission.
April 13, 2012 |
By Paul D. Spudis
Lake Vostok, Europa, and Washington
Cool new concept for a Europa lander! Wish we could afford it.
March 30, 2012 |
By Tony Reichhardt
A Scientific Dispute
A scientific dust-up, featuring raw data and bare knuckles. Who and what should we believe?
March 27, 2012 |
By Paul D. Spudis
Kudos for Cassini
The U.S./European Saturn mission takes home a trophy.
March 2012 |
By Heather Goss
Legacy of a Space Titan
Wernher von Braun was born one hundred years ago, but his blueprint for space exploration still has relevance today.
March 22, 2012 |
By Paul D. Spudis
Ghosts of Gemini
Forgotten photos show the human face of NASA's early astronaut program.
March 20, 2012 |
By Tony Reichhardt
Volcanism in Far Places
The Planetary Science Institute has released a new geological map of Jupiter's moon Io, integrating information taken by the Voyager and Galileo spacecraft.
March 19, 2012 |
By Heather Goss
Can We Repurpose Space Assets?
A lost Russian communications satellite has the potential to teach us about operations on the Moon.
March 19, 2012 |
By Paul D. Spudis
How the Mars Community Shot Itself in the Foot
Ask for a lot and perhaps get a little. But ask for too much and you may end up with nothing.
March 08, 2012 |
By Paul D. Spudis
Double the Space Budget?
Neil Tyson wants to double NASA's budget. Would that solve the problem with America's space program?
March 01, 2012 |
By Paul D. Spudis
Weird Water on GJ1214b
Astronomers learn more about a hot, watery, exotic "super-Earth."
February 23, 2012 |
By Heather Goss
Cataclysmic Conundrum
Is there a way to determine if the Moon underwent an impact cataclysm 3.9 billion years ago? Samples from an old basin may tell us.
February 13, 2012 |
By Paul D. Spudis
Everybody has won and all must have prizes
Prizes for specific accomplishments have been proposed as the solution to the problem of a moribund space program. Are they?
January 25, 2012 |
By Paul D. Spudis
China’s Long March to the Moon
China plans to send humans to the Moon. Why we should care.
January 14, 2012 |
By Paul D. Spudis
About Those Space Joyrides…
The first suborbital tourists will spend up to $200,000 for a few precious minutes of weightlessness. How many minutes will they get?
January 06, 2012 |
By David Warmflash
