Articles

The Downlink

This week, learn about the conditions of the early solar system and get ready for next week’s meteor shower, plus more.

The Downlink

Get ready for the rescheduled Crew Dragon launch and catch up on the highlights of the week in space.

The Planetary Society

Take a look back at the exciting first crewed flight of NASA's Commercial Crew program.

Casey Dreier

NASA's commercial crew program stands to be the agency's lowest-cost human spacecraft effort in nearly 60 years.

Casey Dreier

New legislation proposed in the House of Representatives would radically shift NASA's human spaceflight efforts away from the Moon and back to Mars.

Casey Dreier

The end of the Space Shuttle, the rise of public-private partnerships, and the return to the Moon. As the 2010s come to a close, what were the most impactful events that shaped U.S. space policy?

Emily Margolis

Americans were deeply divided over the value of the Apollo program. One member of Congress had a radical idea: open Kennedy Space Center to the public.

Casey Dreier

Though prize incentives can be useful for certain problems, huge cash payouts for human spaceflight are not good policy.

Emily Lakdawalla

So many Apollo-related books have come out in the first half of 2019 that I decided to cover them in a special summer book-recommendation blog. I have 5 brand-new Apollo-related books to recommend for kids, and include others I've recommended in past years.

Jason Davis

The test showed Orion can blast itself away from the Space Launch System if the big rocket fails while attempting to fly to orbit.

Casey Dreier

How much did Project Apollo cost? Planetary Society experts answered that question by revisiting primary sources and reconstructing Apollo's entire cost history from 1960 - 1973.

Mike Constantine

Apollo 11’S landing on 20 July 1969 was the day humans first set foot on another world. For the risky, challenging endeavor, NASA sought a smooth landing site, one lacking craters or mountains.

Casey Dreier

The White House released a long-awaited supplemental budget request for NASA today. It proposes an additional $1.6 billion for an accelerated human spaceflight effort to land on the Moon in 2024. This boosts the President's budget request for NASA to $22.6 billion in fiscal year 2020, which is approximately $1.1 billion or 5% more than the amount provided by Congress last year.

Casey Dreier

Thirty years ago, President George H.W. Bush announced an ambitious program to return humans to the Moon. It failed. Today the Trump Administration wants the same thing. Can a failed lunar return effort help this one succeed?

Jason Davis

The extent of the accident is unclear, but a plume of orange smoke was visible from miles away.

On March 27, 2019, the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies held a hearing titled, “NASA’s FY 2020 Budget Request.”

Casey Dreier

Can NASA really return astronauts to the Moon by 2024?

Jason Davis

The spacecraft completed a successful test flight with splashdown in the Atlantic Ocean on 8 March 2019 at 08:45 EST (13:45 UTC).

Jason Davis

Docking occurred slightly ahead of schedule at 5:51 EST (10:51 UTC).

Jason Davis

SpaceX's Crew Dragon has successfully launched on its maiden voyage! It will dock with the ISS tomorrow.