Space / Space Flight

Visual Science: NASA Unveils Its New Rocket

The potential successor to the space shuttle gets ready to fly. 10.20.2009

The NASA School of Art

For 50 years, artists have had up-close, insider access to the space program. Here are the results. 10.16.2009

Anatomy of a Lunar Landing

The Apollo program reached the moon 40 years ago today. Here's a look at some of the many technical breakthroughs of that mission. 07.20.2009

10 Great Views—and Memories—From the Moon

Forty years after the first moon landing, the 24 men who've been there open up about the details of their photos and experiences. 07.02.2009

A Scientist's Guide to Finding Alien Life: Where, When, and in What Universe

A variety of new findings point to the "habitable zones" where we're likely to find extraterrestrials. 05.11.2009

Our Quest to Explore—and Photograph—the Solar System

Each stab outward into space gives us a chance to image some new part of our cosmic neighborhood, from Earth to water on Mars to the strange moons of Jupiter and Saturn. 04.21.2009

The Satellite That Aims to Succeed Where Icarus Failed

NASA's Solar Probe Plus study the sun from close up, braving temperatures that would melt stainless steel. 04.07.2009

Visual Science: The Rocket That Could Save Astronauts' Lives

NASA's Orion space capsule features a new escape clause. 02.15.2009

A Virtual Tour of 8 Strange Exoplanets

Astronomers have recently found hundreds of new planets. Here are what some of them might look like. 01.23.2009

#13: China Takes Its First Space Walk

A nation delights in its pioneering venture. 12.20.2008

Want to Get Married in Space? Here's the Man to Call.

Space Adventures CEO Eric Anderson can send you and your friends to the moon—for $100 million a person. 09.30.2008

The Race to Save the Hubble Telescope

An inside look at what may be the toughest space mission ever attempted. 08.28.2008

The Beautiful Mind of Freeman Dyson

Thoughts and illustrations from the head of a science legend. 06.09.2008

Will the Phoenix Lander End Up a Hero-bot or a Pile of Trash?

Many landers have tried to touch down on the Red Planet. Few have succeeded. 05.22.2008

The Space Race For the New Millennium

Despite funding concerns, NASA has big plans for moon exploration. 04.23.2008

Welcome to the Hotel Relativity

From Icehotel to the Astronomers Inn, the world's best science-themed hotels and restaurants 04.14.2008

Space Travel For Every Budget

7 ways to be a space tourist—even if you’re broke. 04.09.2008

Mission to the Forgotten Planets

Before the Pluto fiasco, two asteroids were stripped of planet status. 03.11.2008

Just How Nasty Is Space Food?

An intrepid food expert plays astronaut to find out. 02.01.2008

Deadly Microbes From Outer Space

Get ready for diarrhea that's out of this world. 02.01.2008

The Great Leap Forward in Space Imaging

From snapshots developed chemically—in space—to hi-tech digital masterpieces 11.30.2007

How To Be a NASA Mission Controller

Running the nerve center is nervy business. 11.29.2007

Fat times for Planet Hunters

New-found worlds are becoming bigger, hotter, and stranger. 11.27.2007

20 Things You Didn't Know About... Living In Space

Exploding boobs, toilet target practice, the second birth... 10.30.2007

The Future of Space Food: Bugs

They reproduce rapidly, eat just about anything, and are nutritious, too. 10.24.2007

The Granddaddy of Space Colonization?

Fifty years after Sputnik, Burt Rutan leads a new space race. 10.08.2007

Can a Drunk Person Fly the Space Shuttle?

Discover sends an intoxicated investigator to find out... 09.28.2007

How Final is a Space Burial?

A trip to the heavens can last a lot shorter than a trip to heaven. 08.14.2007

The 62-Mile-High Club

NASA turns a blind eye to the idea of space sex. 07.18.2007

The Make-Believe Mars

Earthlings go to Mars-esque locales to prepare for the real thing. 06.21.2007

Can We Survive on the Moon?

Life on the moon will depend on how we use the moon's gritty dust. 03.21.2007

One Giant Step for a Small, Crowded Country

Are the Japanese moving to the moon? 11.28.2006

The Buzz on NASA

The Apollo 11 pioneer charts a radical course back into space. 09.13.2006

The Future of NASA

Michael Griffin is gearing NASA up to build a moon base. Is he paving the way to Mars or jeopardizing the future of American space exploration? 09.01.2006

Blinded by Science: Hawking's Exit Strategy

Why is one of the thinking community's heavy hitters dabbling in doomsday prophecy? 09.01.2006

Islam Hits International Space Station

When a day lasts 90 minutes, how often does a Muslim astronaut pray? 08.01.2006

Soviet Space Race, Round II

Nearly 40 years after Apollo, Russia eyes moon tourists--and the Red Planet. 08.01.2006

Second Life for the Econo-Rocket

Why give up after only 25 seconds? 07.01.2006

Are We Trapped On Earth?

Impossible Journey? 06.19.2006

Letter From Discover: Starry Eyed

Our eyes are fixed on a lofty goal, but space travel is dangerous. 06.01.2006

The Race to Mars

Will the European 2 Agency put astronauts on the Red Planet before NASA does? 11.22.2005

Shooting the Moon

Elon Musk bets his entire fortune on a rocket. 09.08.2005

Moving $pirits

06.05.2005

The Grandest Rocket Ever

After scientists made the bomb, they had to redeem themselves 02.06.2005

Going Up

Soon some country or corporation is going to build a ribbon up to the sky. Then the question of who owns the moon or Mars will be answered 07.25.2004

Here Comes the Sun

If we want to be a spacefaring nation, we'll have to get better at predicting the weather the nearest star throws at us 05.29.2004

Sky Lights

Wanted: Adventure spots where astronauts will not be crushed, burned, or irradiated 05.29.2004

The Year of Flight

01.14.2004

Discover Dialogue: Planetary Scientist Alan Stern

The planets are the obvious next frontiers for human exploration 01.05.2004

Space

01.02.2004

Space Explorer: Franklin Chang-Díaz

The Boy NASA Couldn't Keep On Earth 11.08.2003

Discover Dialogue: Ann Druyan

If only an elite minority of Americans understands science and technology, there is no hope of democracy 11.08.2003

Let's Go to the Moon (again)

To those who grew up in the long shadow of the Apollo program, the moon was a fixed goal in space. 10.14.2003

Art in Orbit

Boldly going where no gallery has gone before 09.01.2003

Star Trek

NASA thinks we can find another Earth in another nearby star. When we do, how can we possibly travel light-years to get there? It might not be as hard as you'd think . . . 08.01.2003

Works in Progress

Weightlessness takes a heavy toll on the health of our astronauts 05.01.2003

Where Next, NASA?

05.01.2003

Space

01.01.2003

The X-Prize

Does anyone hear Charles Lindbergh chuckling? 07.01.2002

Space

Year In Science 01.13.2002

Sky Lights

Earth's outpost in space gets quite an upgrade 09.01.2001

Winner - Aerospace

Robert Winglee, PhD; Associate Chair, Department of Earth & Space Sciences, University of Washington 07.01.2001

Aerospace: Robert Winglee

Discover Magazine Innovation Awards 07.01.2001

Sleepless in Space

05.01.2001

Can We Go to Mars Without Going Crazy?

Forget about the technical problems. What we really have to worry about is what seven astronauts will do to one another after being locked up in a tiny capsule for nine months 05.01.2001

Sky Lights

Calculating the odds of surviving a manned mission to Mars 10.01.2000

Bugs in Space

10.01.2000

Sky Lights

In space, what can go wrong will go wrong, which adds considerably to the adventure 04.01.2000

Surfing the Solar System

Huge, invisible surfaces shaped like abstract tubas can carry spacecraft from planet to planet 06.01.1999

Two Men in a Tub

Being an astronaut is glamorous, exciting, and dangerous. It can also be tedious and undignified, particularly if you're preparing to build the International 2 Station. 08.01.1998

The Year in Science: Space 1997

One Last Trip 01.01.1998

The Year in Science: Space 1997

One Thing After Another 01.01.1998

It's Only Rocket Science

So you don't happen to have a spare half-trillion dollars. Cheer up, there's more than one way to Mars, after all, it's only rocket science. 05.01.1997

An Odyssey of Sorts

The year 2001 is almost upon us, and manned Jupiter missions are still far-fetched. That doesn't bother Arthur C. Clarke. He sees better things right around the corner. 05.01.1997

The Ulitmate Suburb

Hints of fossilized microbes have rekindled NASA's hopes for a community on Mars. 05.01.1997

Castle in the Air

Sure, the international space station is expensive and uninspiring. But it's also a spectacular feat of engineering, and the arena of choice for international culinary conflict. Discover editors take a further look: 05.01.1997

Celestial Mechanics

05.01.1997

Zero-g Whiz

05.01.1997

Personal Space

05.01.1997

Chutes and Landers

03.01.1997

Questionable Life

Finding evidence of ancient life on Mars may be even more difficult than we thought. 02.01.1997

The Twain Meet

01.01.1996

Boyish Pursuits

01.01.1996

A Small Problem of Propulsion

It's a long way to alpha centauri, but some think antimatter could send us there in record time. 10.01.1995

Rocket on a Round Trip

Blasting off is easy--any rocket can do that. Climbing to Orbit in a single stage is harder. Coming back and landing on your feet is harder still. Can the Delta Clipper do all that? Nasa hopes so. 05.01.1995

A Mortal Science

09.01.1994

Remembering Apollo

Anders, Borman, Stafford, Aldrin, Bean, Gordon, Lovell, Roosa, Worden, Schmitt, Cernan. Eleven astronauts recall the excitement, tension, and delight of getting close enough to touch the moon. 07.01.1994

So Far, So Near

06.01.1994

Atoms for Peace

07.01.1992

Wired in Space

A Texas cardiologist goes into Orbit with 29 rats, 2,478 jellyfish, and a plastic tube snaking through his veins to the entrance of his pounding heart. 04.01.1992