Inventing the jet engine came with a few disasters

The eruption of Fuego on June 3, 2018 is one of the darkest events in the history of Guatemala. It left heartbreaking scenes in its wake, as survivors began a frantic search for family and friends.

The Devastation Caused by the 2018 Fuego Eruption (3:03)

Witnesses to the August 18, 1993 crash of American International Airways Flight 808 described the plane turning towards the runway at an angle of almost 90 degrees—a clear sign of trouble.

Plane Approaches Runway at an Extreme Angle (2:21)

The Manned Orbiting Laboratory, or MOL, was built to capture high-resolution images of Soviet targets on the ground. It was so advanced, it could pick up objects on Earth as small as a baseball.

The Astonishing Spying Capabilities of this U.S. Satellite (1:56)

Gemini 8 was in trouble. After completing the first space docking with another craft, it begins to spin uncontrollably. Ditching protocol, commanding officer Neil Armstrong tries an unorthodox plan.

How Neil Armstrong Saved The Gemini 8 Spacecraft (3:20)

NASA began working on lunar vehicles in the early 1960s—but the project relied more on guesswork than engineering precision. After all, no one had any idea what being on the moon would be like.

The Design Of The Lunar Rover Was Mostly Guesswork (2:37)

A damaged Apollo 13 was about to re-enter Earth's atmosphere amid a communications blackout. It would become the longest re-entry blackout in the history of the space program.

Apollo 13's Intense Comms Blackout (3:47)

"Big Bertha" was one of the moon rocks brought back by the Apollo 14 crew for geological analysis. What it revealed stunned scientists.

A Moon Sample Reveals A Surprising Link To Earth (2:04)

Did you know that some of the technologies we take for granted in our kitchens were actually developed by NASA? Here are five of the best, from water filters to freeze-dried food.

5 Kitchen Objects Inspired By NASA (2:24)

The crew of Apollo 11 had made history by landing on the moon and coming back to Earth in one piece. But before the celebrations could begin, they would have to spend some time in quarantine

Why the Apollo 11 Crew Was Quarantined Upon Return (2:59)