Space Time is an Inverse series that remembers the most important moments in humanity’s exploration of outer space.
Mars 3 accomplished the first soft landing on Mars. Then it died.
40 Years Ago, NASA Tested Out a Radical Rehaul of an Iconic Technology
Witness the reinvention of the humble EVA suit.
50 Years Ago, NASA Sent an Ambitious Mission to Saturn — and To Interstellar Horizons
The Pioneer 11 probe would serve as a metaphorical blueprint for the Voyager missions.
15 Years Ago, Exoplanet Astronomers Made a Breakthrough in the Hunt for Life
Detecting methane on a distant exoplanet paved the way for the hunt for organic chemistry in the cosmos.
75 Years Ago, an Astronomer Found the Weirdest Moon in the Solar System
The high cliffs of Miranda barely scratch the surface of why Uranus' moon is so unique.
5 Years Ago, SpaceX Launched Its Silliest Payload Yet — And It's Still in Orbit
The space-faring Tesla roadster set a speed record unlikely to ever fall to another car, even another Tesla.
60 Years Ago, Astronomers Cracked the Mystery of the Brightest Objects in the Universe
No one was sure what quasars were and how they connected to galaxies. Then it all changed.
65 Years Ago, America Launched Its Most Pivotal Space Mission Ever
Explorer 1 marked the entry of science into what had been a military affair.
40 years ago, NASA launched the space telescope that proved JWST could work
IRAS is a sometimes forgotten spacecraft that proved that infrared astronomy had a bright future.
15 years ago, a spacecraft swung by Mercury to beat the Sun's gravity
The MESSENGER mission needed a few gravitational assists to enter orbit around the smallest planet.
Inside NASA's monumental effort to deliver the first Webb Telescope images
After 20 years and $10 billion, here’s how the NASA team scrambled to make the first images happen.
50 years ago, NASA’s final Apollo mission left the Moon — are we ready to return?
Can the Artemis mission pick up where Apollo 17 left off?
60 years ago, one space mission crushed hopes for life around Earth's twin planet
The Mariner 2 mission proved Venus was too hot to have present-day life.
65 years ago, a street dog paved the way for human spaceflight — with a grim outcome
A Soviet street dog went up to space, but the USSR was ill-prepared for her stay in space.
55 years ago, Russia changed spaceflight forever — and lied about it a little
The Venera 4 mission sent a probe into Venus' atmosphere, but played loose with whether or not it actually survived a landing.
65 years ago, astronomy's most colorful character made a bold interplanetary claim
Did Fritz Zwicky's ballistic experiment reach solar orbit, or was it all a bunch of hot air?
65 Years Ago, “Simple Satellite” Sputnik Redefined Space Science — And Sent A Sinister Message
There was more to this launch than met the eye.
Go deeper
Look! Our Galaxy’s Supermassive Black Hole Resembles A Cruller Donut In This New Image
This space donut is packed with science.
This Map Shows Exactly What You’ll See During April’s Eclipse From Everywhere in the United States
More than 300 million people in the US will see a partial eclipse on April 8, 2024.
Ghost Particles Could Help Untangle Quantum Gravity
Physicists look to neutrinos for clues about how gravity works at tiny scales.
The Science of Eclipses Is Full Of Miscalculations, Bonfires, And Bad Weather
For centuries, astronomers have sought to learn more from eclipses — but it hasn’t always worked out.
Can Space Tourism Give You Cancer?
In a decade or two, journeys into space could become as normal as transatlantic flights. But there’s a lot of radiation that high.
NASA Only Has One Spacecraft to Get to Space — Boeing’s Starliner Could Be the Second
Two astronauts are testing the Boeing Starliner in a few weeks.
The First Full Moon of Spring Will Appear this Weekend With A Hidden Surprise
Think of it as the opening act for the solar eclipse on April 8.
Forget Betelgeuse! This Star Is Actually About to Explode
Any day now...
NASA Was Watching SpaceX’s Starship Flight Closely — Here’s the Reason Why
Meet HLS Starship.
The Solar Eclipse May Include A Rare Comet If You Look In Just the Right Spot
The comet might be bright enough to see with the unaided eye during the eclipse, but only if it erupts at the right time.