Space & Spaceflight

Space Shuttle Launch Live Video Coverage Here

Space week may be over, but the epic quest to reach the stars lives on. Atlantis is launching today in the riskiest shuttle mission ever. See the launch live. [Update: Atlantis is now in space] https://gizmodo.com/why-we-need-to-reach-the-stars-and-we-will-5247705 Mission STS-125—which will service and upgrade the space telescope Hubble for the last time—is scheduled to launch today at…

Space & Spaceflight Jesus Diaz

NASA Preps For The Worst With Dramatic Hollywood-Style Shuttle Rescue Mission

If the rare event that something goes wrong on a space shuttle mission, NASA is ready with a rescue plan that would undoubtedly make many Hollywood directors and tough boy actors piss their pants. Picture this, if you will… The main shuttle mission, Atlantis, experiences another foam incident, and the heat shield is damaged beyond…

Space & Spaceflight Jack Loftus

Why We Need to Reach the Stars (and We Will)

We reached the Moon in a tin can, built a humble space station, and have a plan to reach Mars in a bigger tin can. But we need to reach the stars. And we will. https://gizmodo.com/how-big-is-the-iss-compared-to-science-fiction-spaceshi-5099175 Yes, I know what you are thinking: “It’s impossible.” And right now, you are right. Our current propulsion engines…

Space & Spaceflight Jesus Diaz

Hubble Upgrades Will Give Space Telescope Cosmic Super Vision

The Hubble space telescope, near and dear to we space-loving Gizmodo editors, is about to get tuned-up, courtesy Atlantis. The astronauts are also installing two new gadgets that MSNBC says bestows “superpowers.” That’s pretty accurate. And it’s completely fitting too, given that this voyage is the last trip NASA will take to service Hubble. But…

Space & Spaceflight Jack Loftus

From Earth To Moon Redux: How The Next Moonshot Will Happen

May 2019: Our scheduled return to the moon. There’s plenty of laboring to be done on the Constellation Program before then, but the foundation is set. Here’s how you—as an astronaut—would experience the mission: Ares V Unmanned Cargo Rocket, EDS and Altair: The Gear Goes Up First First it’s the turn of the giant unmanned…

Space & Spaceflight Wilson Rothman

Some Other, Non-Giz-Affiliated Astronaut to Answer Questions Live From Space

Because NASA’s hip with the kids, dammit, they’re using both YouTube and Twitter to let the public ask questions of astronaut Mark Polansky, commander of the International Space Station. If you want to ask a question, just tape yourself asking it in 30 seconds or less, upload to YouTube, and then post the link on…

Space & Spaceflight Dan Nosowitz

Sex In Space: When’s Someone Gonna Get Freaky in Zero G?

In his final installment as Gizmodo’s cherished Astroblogger, real-life astronaut Leroy Chiao covers the taboo topic of sex in space. Will it happen? Has it happened? Guess you’ll have to read to find out… Has anyone had sex in space? To date, I can tell you emphatically, no. Why am I so sure? It’s simple.…

Space & Spaceflight Wilson Rothman

Are We Spending Too Much On NASA?

Yesterday Obama unveiled an $18.7 billion budget for NASA in 2010—a 5% increase over this past year. This is a preliminary figure that could change after a 3-month review of the agency is completed. Some argue that this budget does not reflect Obama’s campaign promises about the future of the space program. Again, this figure…

Space & Spaceflight Sean Fallon

10 Everyday Gadgets With Ties To The Space Program

Chances are you use a gadget touched by space technology each and every day. Here are 10 common gadgets and products with ties to space exploration that have improved our lives here on Earth.

Space & Spaceflight Sean Fallon

Slooh: Control Big Telescopes Around the World in Your PJs

Used by astronomers for years, Slooh is an online service that lets people control space telescopes around the world and take images in real time. They’ve now launched a novice version for you and me. Slooh controls a global network of mountain top telescopes located in Chile, Australia, and Europe, offering 24 hour views of…

Space & Spaceflight Odelia Lee

The Trouble With Space Toilets

Even when astronaut guest blogger Leroy Chiao isn’t asked, he knows people are dying to know: What’s the deal with relieving yourself when there’s no gravity to contain the mess? How does it actually work? In the early days, there were no restroom facilities onboard spacecraft. The first flights were only supposed to last minutes,…

Space & Spaceflight Wilson Rothman

Eating Like an Astronaut: Our Six-Course Space Food Taste Test

Eating is one of life’s most important activities, and the same applies in space. Every astronaut eats three times a day, and yesterday for lunch, Adam and I had space food. It was awesome. So how did everything taste? On the whole, surprisingly good! But before we delve into our detailed taste test, a word…

Space & Spaceflight John Mahoney

The Air Up There: What Space Stations Smell Like

In Leroy Chiao’s five-day stint as astronaut guest blogger, he’s striving to illuminate the everyday aspects of life aboard the International Space Station, stuff that isn’t in press releases. Today’s topic? The air they breathe. OK, so someone wanted to know what the International Space Station smells like. After we opened the hatch, I noticed…

Space & Spaceflight Wilson Rothman

The Space Station We Were Supposed To Get 40 Years Ago

Across the Space Frontier is one of the most beautiful—if wildly inaccurate—books on space travel, mostly American space-race propaganda. Here are cutaways of the space station and rocket promised to be active by 1970. It’s an amazing work, penned by the pioneer’s of America’s space program—Wernher von Braun, Willy Ley, Heinz Haber and even a…

Space & Spaceflight Wilson Rothman

Confessions of a Space Camp Alum

In the summer of 1986, I spent a week at Space Camp in Huntsville, AL. Not only that, but in our final mission, I crashed our Space Shuttle. I remember watching the very first Space Shuttle launch ever, in April 1981. We were sitting on the floor in the hallway of my school, gathered around…

Space & Spaceflight Wilson Rothman

NASA Running Out Of Fuel For Deep Space Missions Because Nobody Makes Nukes Anymore

Supplies of NASA’s go-to fuel for space exploration, plutonium-238, are dwindling. The U.S. stopped making it 20 years ago and now NASA’s Russian suppliers are running out after production shut down. The problem? Nobody makes nukes anymore. Deep space probes beyond Jupiter can’t use solar power because they’re too far from the sun. So they…

Space & Spaceflight Sean Fallon

In Honor of Yuri Gagarin, the First Human in Space

On April 12, 1961, Yuri Alekseyevich Gagarin stepped into his Vostok 1 spacecraft, started the pre-flight checks, and waited for countdown. Hours later, he muttered one of the most beautiful, yet obvious phrases in history: The Earth is blue. How wonderful. It is amazing. And amazing it was. It was an obvious thing to say,…

Space & Spaceflight Jesus Diaz

This is Stephen Colbert’s NASA Space Station Treadmill

The Stephen Colbert treadmill looks tiny, but there isn’t a lot of space to go around up there on the ISS. How does this work? Since there’s very little gravity in space, is there an elastic strap to pull the guy down toward the treadmill to simulate gravity? Or is the guy just whirling his…

Space & Spaceflight Jason Chen

NASA Giving Photosynth Tours of International Space Station

Wanna see where astroblogger Leroy Chiao spent over half a year? Check out NASA’s brand-new ISS Photosynth virtual tour (requires Silverlight). [NASA Photosynth Collection]

Space & Spaceflight Wilson Rothman

This Is What I’m About To Eat For Lunch

Will I survive?

Space & Spaceflight John Mahoney

Space Shuttle Launch Live Video Coverage Here

NASA Preps For The Worst With Dramatic Hollywood-Style Shuttle Rescue Mission

Why We Need to Reach the Stars (and We Will)

Hubble Upgrades Will Give Space Telescope Cosmic Super Vision

From Earth To Moon Redux: How The Next Moonshot Will Happen

Some Other, Non-Giz-Affiliated Astronaut to Answer Questions Live From Space

Sex In Space: When’s Someone Gonna Get Freaky in Zero G?

Are We Spending Too Much On NASA?

10 Everyday Gadgets With Ties To The Space Program

Slooh: Control Big Telescopes Around the World in Your PJs

The Trouble With Space Toilets

Eating Like an Astronaut: Our Six-Course Space Food Taste Test

The Air Up There: What Space Stations Smell Like

The Space Station We Were Supposed To Get 40 Years Ago

Confessions of a Space Camp Alum

NASA Running Out Of Fuel For Deep Space Missions Because Nobody Makes Nukes Anymore

In Honor of Yuri Gagarin, the First Human in Space

This is Stephen Colbert’s NASA Space Station Treadmill

NASA Giving Photosynth Tours of International Space Station

This Is What I’m About To Eat For Lunch

National Film and Sound Archive of Australia Adds ‘Succulent Chinese Meal’ Guy

Feds Sniffing Around Polymarket After Suspicious Bets

DJI Osmo 360 Review: The Best 360 Camera for the DJI-Pilled

Don’t Get Too Attached to Any AI App

‘Paradise’ Writer Teases What’s Coming in Season 3 After That Huge Twist

Trump’s New White House App Is Mildly Concerning and Weird for a Lot of Reasons

Bloodsucking Ticks Can Survive Inside Your Home Longer Than You Might Think

The Best New Toys of March 2026

Aqara Smart Lock U400 Review: Hands-free Unlocking at Its Best

MSI Prestige 14 Flip AI+ Review: A Solid 2-in-1 Laptop With Some Glaring Flaws

Sonos Play Review: Call It a Comeback

Sonos Era 100 SL Review: The Cheapest Way Into Wired Sonos Sound

Asus ROG’s Massive Swift OLED Gaming Monitor Epitomizes Excess in the Best Way

The Ikea Varmblixt Smart Lamp Fills a Donut Hole in My Life

Nothing Headphone A vs. Headphone 1: Which Pair of ANC Wireless Headphones Wins?

Asus ROG’s Cetra Open Wireless Gaming Earbuds Might Be Better Than Wearing a Headset

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