spaceship

The Soviet Plan to Go to the Moon Was Stupid

I look at the Soviet plans to go to the Moon and I wonder if they secretly contracted the Marx Brothers to design it. I guess it’s easy to say that with hindsight—look at the Apollo program—but couldn’t they really see that this was not a very smart option? This Soviet plan to go to…

Space & Spaceflight Jesus Diaz Feb 7

This Age of Power and Wonder (1930s)

Companies of the early 20th century would often include collectible cards with their foodstuffs and tobacco smokes. The New York Public Library has an extensive collection of these cigarette cards available for viewing online, including many from a series by Max Cigarettes called This Age of Power and Wonder. This series from 1935-38 includes predictions…

Tech News Matt Novak Nov 22

Area 51 Receives Poor Reviews From Google Users

The mysterious Area 51 remains a place many people would love to visit. But it ain’t that great! According to humorous Google Maps reviews, one user’s spaceship has been towed and another user got arrested by the army. I love the internet when it makes me laugh like this. Check out the reviews here. [Google…

Tech News Casey Chan Nov 20

Happy 50th Birthday to Sputnik 5, Proof That Space Travel Is Survivable (And Adorable)

Fifty years ago today, the Soviet Union launched the Korabl-Sputnik 2 spacecraft—known as Sputnik 5 in the west—carrying two dogs named Belka and Strelka, along with mice, rats and flies into space. More surprising? Everyone came back alive. The success of Sputnik 5 came at a time when space didn’t seem particularly welcoming to anything…

io9 Sam Biddle Aug 19

How Close to the Sun Can You Survive?

With July in full force, it already feels like the Sun’s rays are slobbering down our necks. But what if it were closer to us? Say, 90 million miles closer? Popular Science investigates how near we could go and survive. Even though the life-giving fireball burns at an unfathomable 9,940°F, PopSci notes that its heat…

Space & Spaceflight Sam Biddle Jul 19

Spandau Ballet To Be First Intergalactic Band Aboard Branson’s SpaceShipTwo Enterprise

Last week I invoked the wrath of trance fans everywhere by suggesting Above & Beyond, rumored to be the first musical act in space, should be kept up there. Turns out Richard Branson chose Spandau Ballet instead. https://gizmodo.com/what-could-be-more-suitable-for-a-space-ride-than-tranc-5421350 I think I now want a ticket aboard Enterprise even more than I did before. They’re performing…

Space & Spaceflight Kat Hannaford Dec 14

What Could Be More Suitable for a Space Ride Than Trance Music? Answer: Everything

Here’s an idea—why don’t we round up every trance act and send them all into space? So we never have to hear that incessant doof doof noise any more. Let’s hope Richard Branson agrees. Trance “act” Above & Beyond DJed in the Mojave desert yesterday for Branson’s SpaceShipTwo event, and are so desperate to see…

Space & Spaceflight Kat Hannaford Dec 8

First Video of Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo

Here you have Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo in shiny shiny video action, from every single angle. As a bonus: Enjoy Sir Richard Branson with his blonde wig—come on, nobody can have such perfect hair, and be so dashing—and the legendary Burt Rutan and his even-more-legendary muttonchops. These guys, my friends, are making history right now. And…

Space & Spaceflight Jesus Diaz Dec 7

First Commercial Spacecraft is Ready for Its Closeup

Tonight marks a historic event: Virgin Galactic will unveil SpaceShipTwo, the first crewed commercial spaceship set to fly the extraterrestrial skies, at the Mojave Air and Spaceport. Get a sneak peek at the ship before its debut. [Gizmodo] https://gizmodo.com/first-images-of-spaceshiptwo-first-commercial-passenge-5420768

io9 Lauren Davis Dec 7

You Can Have Your Very Own Starfleet Shuttle Simulator

Ever wanted to own your own Starfleet shuttle? A Utah school district happens to have a working simulator of the Star Trek-inspired USS Galileo up for auction. The $1000 reserve hasn’t been met, so you can still take Galileo home. Thanks to Erica Brown for the tip.

io9 Lauren Davis Nov 3

Craigslist Ad Seeks Astronaut for One-Way Mission to Titan

If you’re located in Northern Alberta, are interested in space travel, aren’t afraid of heights and need $25,000 (and won’t mind when you explode in mid-air and can’t spend it), have I got a Craigslist ad for you! What’s especially great is the half-assed trustworthiness of the ad: The creator worked on it for 40…

Tech News Dan Nosowitz Oct 10

Bender Makes His Mark on Barcelona

Bender Bending Rodriguez insults human meatbags in his native Spanish in this Futurama-inspired graffiti spotted in Barcelona, from artists Guan, Sagüe and Foner. Apparently, he’s gotten a bit more grizzled since the last Futurama film. [via Reddit]

io9 Lauren Davis Sep 24

This Is What An Apollo 11 Engineer Ends Up With After 20 Years Of Working On a Travel Trailer

Dennis Schaller was a rocket engine mechanic in the Air Force and an electrical engineer on the Apollo missions. So, it’s not surprising that he ended up with this thing after 20 years of working on a travel trailer. Click to view “Most people think it’s a spaceship,” Schaller said of his silver creation that…

Tech News Sean Fallon Aug 31

Where’s The Bathroom On The Enterprise? 9 Space Toilets

With the toilet on the International Space Station busted once again, we can’t help but wonder whether humanity is doomed to a space-faring future without working facilities. Fortunately, there are plenty of fictional, functional space toilets to ease our minds. Star Trek: The Federation may have given us huge advances in transportation and energy-matter conversion,…

io9 Lauren Davis Jul 20

Spaceship Cellphone Makes All Your Calls a Blast

Step aside G1, out of the way iPhone, I think I’ve found my cellular of choice. This little gem of a communication device was discovered by Brian and I in a gadget shop in Hong Kong’s Causeway Bay. Written on the side of the phone was “Shenzhou VII,” the name of China’s third human spaceflight…

Tech News Elaine Chow Oct 16

Giant Light Like Shaped Like Spacecraft, Doesn’t Go Pew Pew

This is a giant exterior light assembly that looks as angular as a stealth fighter, and bit like a Star Trek shuttlepod. By designer Jeroen Molenaar, it’s got some artistic merit and sure, it lights up outside places really nicely… but who cares? It’s a giant light fitting that looks like a spaceship, and that’s…

Gadgets Kit Eaton Sep 26

City Gateway Looks Like Stranded Alien Mothership

The United Arab Emirates keep building their Blade Runner-ish cities in the middle of the desert, with buildings like the Ras Al-Khaimah Gateway, a 2.9 million square feet hotel, conference and exhibition complex that looks like some kind of alien mothership from outer space. Construction will start later this year and Norwegian architects Snøhetta say…

Tech News Jesus Diaz Aug 12

Interview: Virgin Galactic Pilot…Space Pilot

Rich Dancaster has flown commercial jets for a long time. He’s got 16,000 flight hours under his belt, which is more than some of us have in cars. When Virgin America and Galactic announced a plan to work together, he figured it was sheer marketing. Then he got the call that he’d be going through…

Space & Spaceflight Brian Lam Jul 28

SpaceShipTwo Spied, May Turn Out to Be A Private Space Turtle

Flightglobal has a picture of what looks like the cockpit for Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo, the successor to (you guessed it!) SpaceShipOne, which successfully completed the first private manned flight into space. Like the SpaceShipOne, it is being built by Scaled Composites in Mojave, CA, where these shots were taken. The picture might not seem like…

Space & Spaceflight John Herrman Jun 23

Raiders of the Lost Saucer!

What would have happened if Raiders of the Lost Ark met Sid and Marty Krotfft’s Lost Saucer? It might have looked a little something like this. Of course, you might have a chance to see this scene for real if the rumors about extraterrestrials in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull are…

io9 Kevin Kelly Apr 22

The Soviet Plan to Go to the Moon Was Stupid

This Age of Power and Wonder (1930s)

Area 51 Receives Poor Reviews From Google Users

Happy 50th Birthday to Sputnik 5, Proof That Space Travel Is Survivable (And Adorable)

How Close to the Sun Can You Survive?

Spandau Ballet To Be First Intergalactic Band Aboard Branson’s SpaceShipTwo Enterprise

What Could Be More Suitable for a Space Ride Than Trance Music? Answer: Everything

First Video of Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo

First Commercial Spacecraft is Ready for Its Closeup

You Can Have Your Very Own Starfleet Shuttle Simulator

Craigslist Ad Seeks Astronaut for One-Way Mission to Titan

Bender Makes His Mark on Barcelona

This Is What An Apollo 11 Engineer Ends Up With After 20 Years Of Working On a Travel Trailer

Where’s The Bathroom On The Enterprise? 9 Space Toilets

Spaceship Cellphone Makes All Your Calls a Blast

Giant Light Like Shaped Like Spacecraft, Doesn’t Go Pew Pew

City Gateway Looks Like Stranded Alien Mothership

Interview: Virgin Galactic Pilot…Space Pilot

SpaceShipTwo Spied, May Turn Out to Be A Private Space Turtle

Raiders of the Lost Saucer!

Microsoft Says You’re Not Supposed to Take Copilot’s Advice Seriously

Amazon Is Sticking With ‘Rings of Power’ to the End

Trump Is Reportedly Going Full Steam Ahead with the Golden Dome

‘Kamen Rider’ Is Ready to Take on the World

Twitter Just Can’t Stop Leaking Movies

The ‘Mass Effect’ Show is Getting Rewritten to Get Greenlit

See the Early Stages of How ‘Project Hail Mary’ Brought Rocky to Life

‘Cognitive Surrender’ Is a New and Useful Term for How AI Melts Brains

HP Omen Max 45L Review: 4K60 Gaming Has Never Been So Easy

Ecovacs Winbot W3 Omni Review: Window Cleaning Robots Have a Long Way to Go

AirPods Max 2 vs. Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen): Which ANC Headphones Win?

The Best Gadgets of March 2026

AirPods Max 2 Review: Still Ridiculously Expensive and Ridiculously Nice

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

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

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