A Very Unusual Machine

Space Panorama is a sparkling recreation of the Apollo 11 moon landing. Standing behind a large black clothed table, accompanied by a narrator and music from Shostakovich's 10th Symphony, we explore this surface and the spaces above it using only hands, arms and upper torso to create a constantly entrancing documentary of the entire mission. (Performed by Andrew Dawson; Narrated by Gavin Robertson; Directed by Jos Houben)

Space Panorama (5:09)

This animation, produced by manufacturer Sierra Nevada, shows Dream Chaser carrying out the mission it was designed for: taking off from Earth, flying to and docking with the International Space Station, and returning. Unlike the two other vehicles competing for the job of space shuttle successor, Dream Chaser has a shape similar to that of its forebear. However, its propulsion is different: Dream Chaser is launched on an Atlas V. On the way to the station, the two stages of the launcher gradually fall away, and from then on, Dream Chaser is powered by its hybrid engines. On the return trip, the vehicle would experience less that 1.5 Gs on reentry into Earth's atmosphere, and would glide to a landing on an airport runway.

Sierra Nevada's Dream Chaser (4:01)

Before John Young and Robert Crippen’s STS-1 mission in April 1981, no astronauts had ever landed a spaceship on a runway. In their postflight briefing, Young (the first voice in this clip) and pilot Crippen describe their first-time return of a shuttle from orbit, during which the vehicle executed a series of S-turns, or roll reversals, like a skier slaloming downhill to manage speed.

STS-1: The First Shuttle Landing (5:55)

Axiom’s Plan for a Private Space Station (0:45)

During a February 2013 U.N. meeting on international strategies for protecting Earth from incoming asteroids, astronaut Chris Hadfield, a member of the Association of Space Explorers, addresses attendees from onboard the International Space Station. Video: Association of Space Explorers

Chris Hadfield On the Asteroid Threat (6:44)

At ten feet wide, 22 feet long, and 4,620 pounds without ballast, the M2-F2 flewand hit the desertlike an anvil. Forty-four years ago, Bruce Peterson barely survived the beast.

NASA Lifting Body Crash, 1967 (1:42)

In this video taken from NASAs F/A-18 chase plane, the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA), fully opens its telescopes door on a flight near Edwards, California on December 18, 2009. The one-hour, 19-minute flight was the first time outside air had interacted with the part of the airplane that carries the 98-inch telescope. The blue tufts around the door, similar to parachute cord, help aerodynamic engineers see the flow of air around the fuselage. Doing so allows them to determine if there is any unusual turbulence around the opening. The door, designed in a wind tunnel, has proven to be effective, with no noticeable drag when it is either partially or fully open.

SOFIA Opens Its Door (1:41)

The new theater system in the National Air and Space Museums Einstein Planetarium is such a dramatic upgrade that only a few of the currently available films can make use of its full definition. To Space & Back, which opens in mid-August 2014, is one of them. (Video: Courtesy of Sky-Skan and the Franklin Institute)

To Space and BackTrailer (2:01)

In the early days of the shuttle program, NASA wasnt sure how crews of five, six, and seven people would fare in the limited space of the orbiter. Here the crew of STS-51A, who flew in November 1984, give a tour of the upper and lower decks. Onboard were Rick Hauck, Dave Walker, Joe Allen, Anna Fisher, and Dale Gardner. Allen, who had been an astronaut since 1967 but hadnt flown until 1982, was making his second flight.

STS-51A: Life on a Small Spaceship (3:54)