Why NASA ended Cassini’s mission at Saturn
Cassini still worked when it entered Saturn’s atmosphere. Its planned ending protected the moons, used a dwindling resource, and opened a final window into the planet.
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Stories about spaceflight
How ISSpresso Made Coffee Work in Space
An espresso machine, a sealed pouch and a capillary cup solved three different problems aboard the space station. Here is what each one did—and what the million-dollar comparison leaves out.
Apollo–Soyuz: When Cold War Rivals Opened the Hatch
The handshake in orbit depended on years of cooperation and hardware designed to meet in the middle.
Gemini 8: Docking, Then a Dangerous Spin
Follow a pioneering orbital docking and the emergency that cut the mission short.
The Tiny Mirror Flaw That Blurred Hubble
A telescope, an optical mistake and the mission to correct its view.
Voyager 1 and the Pale Blue Dot
Look back at Earth through Voyager's camera and consider what a tiny point of light can show.
X-37B and Buran: Returning Without a Pilot
Compare two spacecraft and the problem of bringing a winged vehicle back from orbit.
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Why Did Spaceships Lose Their Wings?
Explore why different spacecraft use different shapes to return to Earth.
Apollo 8 and the View Back at Earth
Follow the Apollo 8 crew to lunar orbit and the photograph that turned their attention home.
Astronaut Training: Why the Freezing Forest?
Winter camps, underwater rehearsals and cave expeditions prepare astronauts for different parts of a mission. The key is knowing what each exercise can teach—and what it cannot reproduce.
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Voyager’s Golden Record: What We Sent and How It Works
How Earth’s sounds and pictures fit into a phonograph groove, and how an unknown finder might decode them.
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