One of these shuttle astronauts could get the call for a moon mission. Top to bottom, left to right: Terry Virts, mission specialists Robert Behnken, Karen Nyberg, pilots Jim “Vegas” Kelly, Mark Kelly, Pam Melroy, Randy Bresnik, and mission specialist Megan McArthur.

Space Exploration

Fly Us to the Moon

The next lunar explorers will soon report to Houston. Are some already there?

European astronaut Frank De Winne checks out a mockup of a new space station sleep compartment.

Company Expected

Three more people will soon move into the International Space Station—and they’ll be drinking, um….

The PSLV rocket that launched Chandrayaan-1, on its way to the pad.

India Aims for the Moon

A U.S. scientist reports from the scene of India's first lunar launch.

Red Whittaker with his namesake, Red Rover II. Hours after Google announced its Lunar X Prize, Whittaker threw his ’bot in the ring.<br />

Red and The Robots

Red Whittaker’s rovers have already gone where no robot has gone before. Will one of them make it to the moon?

Malin with the prototype of one of his cameras in 1999. The flight version was lost on the ill-fated Mars Polar Lander later that year.

A Cameraman on Mars

If you really want to know the planet, flip through Mike Malin’s photo album.

A & S Interview: Richard Garriott

A second generation space traveler talks about his upcoming tourist trip to the space station.

A ground-based receiver would collect microwaves beamed from an orbiting solar power satellite.

Where the Sun Does Shine

Will space solar power ever be practical?

Mission to Mir

At the start of a new partnership, U.S. and Russian space travelers learn that every long journey begins with a single step.

Artists depiction of the Jupiter-120 arriving at the launch pad.

End Run

A small band of rogue rocketeers takes on the NASA establishment.

The rescued crew would transfer from one shuttle to the other along the robot arm.

The Shuttle Mission No One Wants

If STS-400 launches, be prepared for one of the most dramatic spaceflights ever.

The shadow of their lander dominates a mosaic of the numbered photos Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin took out their window before leaving the moon.

Finding Apollo

Forty years later, we’re about to see what the moonwalkers left behind.

The author, wearing a Russian Orlan spacesuit, prepares to venture outside the International Space Station in January 2005.

First Steps

As Chinese astronauts prepare for their first spacewalk, a NASA veteran describes what’s in store for them.

Russian scientists have recently improved their probe by replacing the drill shown with a scoop device to collect soil in the weak gravity of Phobos, the larger of Mars’ two moons.<br />

Mission Possible

A new probe to a Martian moon may win back respect for Russia’s unmanned space program.

An Orion-derived spacecraft approaches an asteroid, with Earth in the distant background.

The Million Mile Mission

A small band of believers urges NASA to take its next step—onto an asteroid.

Falcon 1 on the launch pad at Kwajalein.

Third Time’s the Charm?

Elon Musk tries again to reach orbit, with hopes for low-cost spaceflight riding on the outcome.

Spaceport Singapore, envisioned by Space Adventures, Ltd., would cost $115 million. A Singapore-based consortium and the Crown Prince of Ras Al-Khaimah in the United Arab Emirates are backing the venture.

Fields of Dreams

Will starry-eyed entrepreneurs transform today's wide-open spaces into tomorrow's spaceports?

The Big Creek Missile Agency

The short story that became the movie October Sky.

Three to get ready: Astronauts (from left) Satoshi Furukawa, Akihiko Hoshide, and Naoko Yamazaki are all in training for duty on the space station.

Konnichi Wa, Kibo

The International Space Station says hello to its newest addition, made in Japan.

The author, whose father was first secretary for the Soviet Communist Paty from 1953 to 1964, relaxes in his office at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island.

We Shocked the World

Nikita Khrushchev's son recalls the night Sputnik made history.

The Last Days of T.rex

Maybe an asteroid wasn't to blame after all.

Testing a small-scale prototype of the space paper airplane in the University of Tokyos hypersonic wind tunnel.

The Ultimate Paper Airplane

Japan's bid to launch an origami aircraft from the space station.

50 Ways to Space Out

Looking for ways to celebrate a half century of spaceflight? Here's fifty of 'em.

Humans vs. Robots

Which way lies our future in space? A discussion.

The Orion simulator: The shape is as old as Apollo, but the dashboard is all new.

Orion's Brain

NASA's new space capsule has a mind of its own.

The Terrain Camera on Japans Kaguya spacecraft returned this 3-D view of the Apollo 15 landing site flanking Hadley Rille.

Back to Hadley Rille

A Japanese camera spies a moonscape last explored by astronauts a generation ago.

A Little Joe II during launch

Confidence Booster

This little known Apollo artifact caused astronauts to rest a little easier.

1. Langley Landers (1961)<br /><br />In August of 1961, engineer John Houbolt gave one of many presentations to the Space Task Group [at NASAs Langley Research Center in Virginia, where he worked]. In attendance was Jim Chamberlin, the brilliant designer of the Canadian Avro Arrow fighter. Chamberlin was heading up what would become Project Gemini, and he had already begun to think about using the new larger "Advanced Mercury," as Gemini was called at the time, to do more than just fly in low Earth orbit. Chamberlin wanted to use Gemini to go to the moon, and he would make that exact suggestion later that year. His teams design for an accompanying lunar lander was similar to one proposed earlier in the year by the Langley staff. It was basically nothing more than a platform placed on top of a rocket engine, on which an intrepid astronaut would stand, surrounded by fuel tanks.

Lunar Landers That Never Were

The road to the moon was paved with good intentions.

The Misunderstood Professor

When he suggested in a 1920 treatise that rockets could reach the moon, Robert Goddard sparked a public frenzy.

Satellite Smashers

Space-faring nations: Clean up low Earth orbit or you're grounded.

Footprint at Tranquility Base, July 1969.

My Favorite Artifact: The Apollo Landing Sites

This space historian's ideal exhibit is one that's not quite ready to open.

The recovery crew arrived five hours after the Soyuz landed.

If I Were to Land on Mars...

A small malfunction lands three astronauts on Russia’s version of the Red Planet.

Visitors may design one of two theoretical Mars base camps, named Viking or Odyssey, set in the year 2031.

In The Museum: The Universe in 5,000 Square Feet

Laika's Tale

Fifty years after her flight, a new graphic novel recounts the saga of the dog that made space history.

#1: The whole Earth from space, as photographed by the Apollo 17 crew in 1972. Arguably the most influential image to come out of the American space program.

Top NASA Photos of All Time

50 indelible images from the first 50 years of spaceflight

Paul Dimitriu in his Los Angeles jewelry shop.

The Astronaut Jeweler

More than 1,500 pieces designed by Paul Dimitriu have flown on the space shuttle.

Chinas first astronaut, Yang Liwei (left) got a visit last September from Leroy Chiao, the first astronaut of Chinese descent to walk in space.

Great Hero Yang

In 2003, China's first astronaut stepped out of his space capsule and into the limelight.

The malfunctioning satellite will be taken out by an SM-3 standard missile, similar to this one fired last June from the destroyer USS Decatur. In that test, the missile successfully intercepted a ballistic missile launched from Hawaii.

Satellite Shoot-Down

The Pentagon plans to knock one of our own out of the sky.

A & S Interview: David Sington

In the Shadow of the Moon.

Viewport: NASA’s First 50

The Chicago area lights up the night next to the blank expanse of Lake Michigan. The yellow-orange color is due to the extensive use of sodium vapor lights.

Cities at Night: An Astronaut’s View

Urban nightscapes are among the most beautiful sights in orbit.

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January 2009

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Air & Space Interview

John H. Hill

A brief history of airline passenger seats

New Worlds

Confidence Booster

This little known Apollo artifact caused astronauts to rest a little easier.