- Quiz Yourself: Space Shuttles
At its best, the space shuttle is the embodiment of 20th-century scientific progress, a stunningly complex vehicle that can lift into space, orbit the Earth, return to Earth's atmosphere, and be re-used in a matter of weeks.
- How Space Shuttles Work
In its nearly 30-year history, the space shuttle program has seen exhilarating highs and devastating lows. Learn all about the space shuttle program.
- How Rocket Engines Work
Believe it or not, the hardest part of space exploration is getting a spaceship off the ground. Explore the basics of propulsion and learn about both solid-fuel and liquid-fuel rocket engines.
- How Voyager Works
The Voyager space probes took dazzling pictures of planets no one had ever seen. And they're still on the move, carrying golden records with a message for aliens -- complete with bagpipes and Louis Armstrong.
- How Mars Odyssey Works
Mars Odyssey is NASA's latest Mars spacecraft, and it's going to the red planet in search of water. Learn how this orbiter could pave the way for manned missions to Mars!
- How the Mars Exploration Rovers Work
The second Mars Exploration mission rover, Opportunity, has successfully landed and is now sending back breathtaking photos. See what these high-tech rovers are all about.
- How the Apollo Spacecraft Worked
The Apollo program was initiated with the goal of landing a man on the moon. What was the spacecraft that helped make this giant leap for mankind?
- How the Delta IV Heavy Works
It's bigger, stronger, more efficient and more precise: The Delta IV Heavy is arguably the greatest rocket built to date. It can put 13 tons of satellite payload into its intended orbit with fuel to spare, and that's just the beginning.
- How the EZ-Rocket Works
But can a commercial spacecraft take off on its own from the ground, travel into outer space and land again on a runway? That's the goal of XCOR Aerospace, and it starts with the EZ-Rocket.
- How the Gemini Spacecraft Worked
Project Gemini played an important step in NASA's efforts to put a man on the moon. How did the Gemini spacecraft carry two astronauts into space and back safely?
- How did Lockheed win NASA's Orion contract?
How did Lockheed win the Orion contract over the manned-space-experts Grumman and Boeing? Check out some of the expert speculation.
- How do spacecraft re-enter the Earth's atmosphere?
Blasting a spacecraft into space is one thing. Bringing it back in one piece is another. Spacecraft are likely to burn up into bits if they aren't specially insulated and designed for the ride.
- How are the Voyager spacecraft able to transmit radio messages so far?
The Voyager spacecraft use 23-watt radios. This is higher than the 3 watts a typical cell phone uses, but in the grand scheme of things it is still a low-power transmitter.
- Why are space shuttle launches delayed so frequently?
From a distance, a space shuttle looks pretty sturdy. It's enormous and solid, and it can withstand extreme temperatures when it enters the Earth's atmosphere. But in some ways, a space shuttle is delicate.
- Meteors burn up when they hit the Earth's atmosphere. Why doesn't the space shuttle?
In science, we are learning about the atmosphere. It protects us from meteors because it burns them up. So, why doesn't the space shuttle burn up?
