The "massive malfunction" that killed seven astronauts aboard the Space Shuttle Challenger in 1986 also forever changed NASA, an agency that seemed infallible. What breakdown in the decision-making process led to the shuttle lifting off? The organizational structure of NASA itself played a bigger role than you might…

Ever since NASA retired its space shuttle program in 2011, the only way to get up to the International Space Station is on a Russian Soyuz. That's why the six humans currently orbiting in space—including two Americans and three Russians—might be paying attention to what's happening on earth two hundred miles below. As…

It may be hard to believe, but it's already been a full two years since the Space Shuttle Program completed its final mission and put its magnificent fleet of ships into retirement. The last of these to settle into its final resting place was Endeavor, and professional launch photographer Scott Andrews caught it all…

The shuttle program is dead. That's sad. But the parts that made up the shuttle program have morphed into one massively absurd estate sale, the likes of which hoarders have only ever dreamed of. And that's absolutely wonderful. You'll soon be able to bid on one of the three genuine, 4,115-ton launch platforms that…

I've seen the space shuttle in every possible way and angle. Even at the launch pad at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. But I've never seen it completely shrink-wrapped, as if someone just ordered one from Amazon.

Check out this animated GIF. It's the toughest moment of the space shuttle Endeavour's drive across Los Angeles, en route to its permanent retirement place, at the Science Center.

I don't know if it's the most stunning or not—NYC was pretty awesome—but Endeavour looks absolutely magnificent flying over Los Angeles en route to LAX. The sense of scale is absolutely fantastic. What a beautiful shot. Click to see the ultra-HD version. [APOD]

Famed cinematographer and Gizmodo friend Vincent Laforet went to Los Angeles International Airport to capture the last flight of space shuttle Endeavour using a RED Epic camera at 5K resolution with Canon 800mm 5.6 lens in slow motion—-96 frames per second.

Yesterday marked the one-year anniversary of the final launch of Space Shuttle Atlantis, and the last of 135 Shuttle launches in NASA's history. This video, first released back in August of last year, is an oldie, but it easily ranks alongside this booster-cam footage as one of my favorite shuttle-themed videos of…

Today marks one year since Atlantis roared on Launch Pad 39A en route to the International Space Station. It was the last of the 135 launches in the history of the space shuttle program. Here is an amazing video that shows them all at the same time.

NASA astronaut Gregory H. Johnson and his pal Steve Robinson were flying a T-38 today over the gulf and noticed this weird scene: the space shuttle cruising on board a barge. "Not something you see every day," he says. Indeed!

If you never attended a shuttle launch, you must watch this perfect video. Watch it with good and big headphones. Or better yet, with an amazing sound system. In fact, this is the perfect video to test your audio setup with gigantic subwoofer.

I love New York City. I love the space shuttle. So when I saw these official NASA photos of the most amazing spacecraft flying over the most amazing city in the planet, I instantly got a space nerd single tear running down my face.

Since you'll probably never be an astronaut and since the Space Shuttle program is ending, you're probably never going to see the innards of the massive machine in real life. It's okay though, this amazing 360-degree panorama lets you see every seat, switch, button, knob and thing that blasts people into space.

The Space Shuttle Discovery hitched a ride today on NASA's 747 to National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C. It's yet another period at the end of the melancholy final paragraph of the Space Shuttle program. So long, Discovery. And thank you for the memories.

I wish NASA took more photos of the shuttle from other aircraft. There are many that I like—like Atlantis launching next to an F-15—but this one is the best. Too bad it's not a real image but a montage. [E-y-e-l-e-s-s]

Did the Atlantis astronauts see UFOs in 2006? According to this NASA video and audio, yes, yes they did. Watch them spotting not one but three UFOs in front of them and telling Houston about it.

In 1990, the Broad Band X-ray Telescope orbited the Earth aboard the Space Shuttle Columbia, gathering data on galactic and intergalactic X-ray energy sources. Now it just gathers dust as government surplus. Unless, of course, you've got $7 million and a hankering for some nifty NASA memorabilia.

Some cray cray individuals think that the Canary Islands were the door to the lost continent of Atlantis. That's one of the reasons I like this image of Atlantis—the space shuttle—flying parallel to the Canarian island of Tenerife.