Space ExplorationApril 3, 2023
NASA Announces the Astronaut Crew for Artemis II Lunar Flyby
Four astronauts will fly around the moon in preparation for the first human landings there since 1972
Stories by Robert Z. Pearlman
Robert Pearlman is a space historian, journalist and the founder and editor of collectSPACE.com, an online publication and community devoted to space history with a particular focus on how and where space exploration intersects with pop culture. Pearlman is also a contributing writer for Space.com and co-author of "Space Stations: The Art, Science, and Reality of Working in Space” published by Smithsonian Books in 2018.
Space ExplorationNovember 11, 2022
Filmmakers Find Section of Destroyed Space Shuttle Challenger on Ocean Floor
Divers working on a television documentary were searching for a downed World War II aircraft when they instead discovered the NASA artifact
Space & PhysicsApril 28, 2021
Michael Collins, Apollo 11 Astronaut Who Orbited Moon, Dies at 90
Collins piloted the command module while Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin touched down in 1969
Space & PhysicsJanuary 26, 2021
Axiom Space Names First Private Crew to Visit Space Station
The four men will voyage to orbit in 2022 aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft
Space & PhysicsNovember 6, 2020
Mark Kelly Becomes 4th Astronaut Elected to Congress
After a special election in Arizona, the veteran spacefarer is set to become a senator
Space & PhysicsApril 13, 2020
Apollo 13 at 50 Years: Looking Back at the Mission’s Lost Lunar Science
Its commander Jim Lovell and pilot Fred Haise reflect on their fateful, flawed voyage to the moon
Space & PhysicsJuly 23, 2019
Solar Sailing Success: Planetary Society Deploys LightSail 2
The spacecraft is set to harness the power of sunlight alone to alter its orbit around Earth
Space & PhysicsMay 30, 2018
Pioneering NASA Astronaut Don Peterson Dies at 84
In 1983, Peterson performed the first spacewalk from a space shuttle
Space & PhysicsMay 17, 2017
Kickstarter Project Seeks to Resurrect Pioneer Plaques
The crowdsourced effort intends to build replicas of the famed "galactic greeting cards," which are traveling out of the solar system on the Pioneer 10 and 11 space probes
Space & PhysicsJanuary 17, 2017
Apollo Astronaut Eugene Cernan Dies at 82
As commander of the final Apollo mission in 1972, Cernan was the last human to walk on the moon
Space & PhysicsDecember 8, 2016
John Glenn, First American to Orbit Earth, Dies at 95
The last of NASA’s original seven astronauts to die, Glenn circled the planet three times in 1962
Space & PhysicsApril 25, 2016
British Astronaut Tim Peake Sets Off-World Record Running Marathon in Space
European Space Agency astronaut used an International Space Station treadmill to march 26.2 miles (42.2 kilometers) to the “finish line”
Space & PhysicsMarch 14, 2016
Engine Used on Penultimate Space Shuttle Flight Relit for New NASA Rocket
NASA wants the rocket engine to help launch astronauts on the agency's first crewed mission beyond Earth’s orbit since the last of the Apollo moon missions
The SciencesDecember 2, 2015
SpaceX May Try Land-Based Rocket Landing This Month, NASA Official Says
Recovering and reusing rocket stages could significantly reduce launch costs
Space & PhysicsNovember 2, 2015
International Space Station Is 15 Years Old: First Commander Remembers
NASA astronaut Bill Shepherd recalls leading the first mission to the space station on November 2, 2000
Space & PhysicsAugust 10, 2015
Astronauts Take First Bites of Lettuce Grown in Space
Hydroponic farming is one small step toward self-sustaining space habitats
Space & PhysicsJune 5, 2015
NASA Apollo Mission Control Room Turns 50
This 'cathedral' to the U.S. space race, dormant for 23 years, will be restored in time to commemorate the first moon landing's half-century anniversary
December 20, 2013
Iconic Apollo 8 "Earthrise" Photo Re-created 45 Years Later [Video]
A new video simulation helps viewers experience the moments when the image was captured and what it was like inside the spacecraft at the time
June 21, 2013
Crowdfunding Raises $1 Million for Asteroid Miners' Public Space Telescope
More than 11,000 supporters donated to Planetary Resources' asteroid-hunting, publicly accessible telescope program
Space & PhysicsJune 18, 2013
Details in Death of Yuri Gagarin, First Man in Space, Revealed 45 Years Later
An accident is revealed as the true cause of Gagarin's crash during a test flight in 1968
Space & PhysicsDecember 4, 2012
Space-Flown Spider Dies in Smithsonian
Nefertiti lived on the International Space Station for 100 days this summer as part of an onboard science experiment
November 2, 2012
Space Shuttle Leaves for Museum Display
Atlantis is on the move, traveling almost 10 miles to reach its new location at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex
Space & PhysicsOctober 9, 2012
Space Shuttle Endeavour to Leave on L.A. Road Trip This Week
Moving the 70-metric-ton orbiter from LAX to the California Science Center is no easy task, but lucky Angelinos can watch the trek from viewing centers around the city
Space & PhysicsFebruary 20, 2012
50 Years Later, John Glenn's Space Legacy Still Circling Earth
In a telephone interview the first American in orbit reflects on why his achievement still fascinates us: the flight's speed and duration helped