Astronauts

NASA astronaut Christina Koch conducts botany research aboard the International Space Station, where she’s been living and working since March 14, 2019. Her mission has been extended, and she will remain at the station until February 2020.

Christina Koch Is Scheduled to Spend 328 Days in Space—a Record for Women Astronauts

‘It feels awesome,’ Koch said of the milestone

Identical twin astronauts, Scott and Mark Kelly, are subjects of NASA’s Twins Study. Scott (right) spent a year in space while Mark (left) stayed on Earth as a control subject.

NASA's Study of Astronaut Twins Creates a Portrait of What a Year in Space Does to the Human Body

Wide-ranging research compares astronaut Scott Kelly to his earthbound twin brother, Mark

Dragons in Chinese art represent the emperor.

What Do Dragons Symbolize and More Questions From Our Readers

You asked, we answered

Beneath the Space Window at the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C., where a seven-gram sample of moon rock is incorporated into the design, a sold-out crowd gathered this week for the celebration of the 50th Anniversary of Apollo 8.

NASA Won’t Be Going ‘Back’ to the Moon—It Wants to Go Beyond It

At a 50th-anniversary event for Apollo 8, NASA’s Jim Bridenstine envisioned the moon’s potential for future space exploration

“Everyone involved accomplished many, many firsts with that flight,” says Smithsonian curator Teasel Muir-Harmony. of NASA's near-perfect mission, (above: Apollo 8 command module).

How Apollo 8 ‘Saved 1968’

The unforgettable, 99.9 percent perfect, December moon mission marked the end of a tumultuous year

Russian cosmonaut Fyodor Yurchikhin on a spacewalk in 2013, completing maintenance on International Space Station.

Hanging Out in Space Deforms Brain Tissue, New Cosmonaut Study Suggests

While gray matter shrinks, cerebrospinal fluid increases. What's more: These changes do not completely resolve once back on Earth.

Now held in the collections of the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum are a 35 mm camera (left) and a digital camera. Each was used by John Glenn on his two journeys into outer space.

How John Glenn’s Encore Space Flight Lifted U.S. Spirits

Two cameras tell the tale of the first American to orbit Earth and his return to space 36 years later

Ryan Gosling as Neil Armstrong in First Man.

Smithsonian Curator Reflects on What 'First Man' Gets Right About Neil Armstrong's Journey to the Moon

The new film lays bare the personal sacrifice and peril that accompanied NASA's historic mission

Russian Soyuz rocket carrying astronauts Nick Hague and Aleksey Ovchinin lifts off on Thursday, October 11.

Astronauts Survive Emergency Landing After Russian Rocket Launch Fails

The two crew members landed safely in Kazakhstan after aborting the spaceflight to conduct a high-speed reentry procedure

In the installation, astronaut Mae Jemison appears as a 3D rendering (above, left) and discusses her career and those of other women involved in the space program.

A Hologram of the First Woman of Color in Space Debuted on Museum Day

An installation at the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum featuring Mae Jemison highlights diversity in space exploration

Artist's rendering of "Orbital Reflector," a reflective space sculpture set to be launched into space this October

Astronomers Say This Reflective Space Sculpture Will Cause Unneeded Light Pollution. The Artist Argues Otherwise

‘Orbital Reflector,’ a 100-foot long, diamond-shaped balloon, aims to inspire humans to gaze up at the night sky with a renewed sense of wonder

Nine Travel Tips From Astronauts

What can terrestrial travelers learn from people who have been to space?

Mission specialist Sally Ride became the first American woman to fly in space.

An Astronaut Reflects on Sally Ride's Legacy for Women in STEM

Ride encouraged girls to embrace science and engineering, helping democratize space for all. But more work is needed

Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin walks on the moon surface in July of 1969.

Lunar Dust Might Pose Severe Health Risks to Future Human Colonies on the Moon

Prolonged exposure to lunar dust can cause illnesses like bronchitis and cancer, according to a new study

An artist's illustration of the Tiangong-1 space lab in orbit.

China's Tiangong-1 Finally Crashes Back to Earth

Most of the craft likely burned up as it re-entered the Earth’s atmosphere

NASA Teacher-in-Space trainee Sharon Christa McAuliffe (right) and backup Barbara R. Morgan practice experiments during a zero-gravity training flight on October 16, 1985.

In Stellar Tribute, Astronauts Teach "Lost Lessons" From Educator Who Died on <em>Challenger</em>

Christa McAuliffe had planned to teach the lessons during her 1986 trip to space. Now, two astronauts will finally carry out the plan

A Falcon 9 launch vehicle takes flight during a resupply mission on June 3, 2017. This was the first time that a Dragon spacecraft has been reused.

SpaceX Successfully Launches a Fully Recycled Mission to the Space Station

A previously flown rocket will launch a previously flown spacecraft to the space station

Apollo 17's Saturn V launch vehicle sits atop pad 39-A at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Apollo 17 Was the Swan Song of Manned Space Exploration

Looking back 45 years later, is there hope humanity will once again push beyond Earth? President Donald Trump seems to think so

Scott Kelly upon his return to Earth.

Scott Kelly's Journey Home After His Year in Space

America’s longest-orbiting astronaut describes his rocky return to Earth in this adaptation from his book 'Endurance'

The LEM model missing from the Armstrong Museum

Thieves Steal Solid Gold Lunar Lander Model From Armstrong Museum

The five-inch model was created by Cartier as tribute from French newspaper readers to the Apollo 11 astronaut

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