HowStuffWorks Space & Solar System Guide  Tags: howstuffworks science solar_system space planet sun moon space_exploration shuttles spacecraft astronaut stars meteor asteroid galaxy earth earth_science space_tourism  

When most people think of NASA, they think of astronauts and Kennedy Space Center, but there's much more to this nearly 50-year-old organization. Learn about the history of NASA, how its structured and exactly what it does.

Project Mercury launched the first American into space. Have a look back at this historic mission.

A small aluminum ball that orbited the planet for three months in the 1950s had a profound influence over your life. If it hadn't, you wouldn't be reading this now.

The space race between the United States and the former Soviet Union began in the early 1950s. What followed was an era of cooperation between the United States, and now Russian, space programs with the building and operation of the International Space...

Almost everyone dreams of floating effortlessly like astronauts in space. The Zero Gravity Corporation offers this experience to the public. Go inside G-FORCE-ONE to find out what it's like to somersault in zero gravity and how simulating weightlessness..

Some people don't believe a man walked on the moon. Others still think the Earth is flat. Are the Illuminati preparing the Earth to become an alien colony?

Neil Armstrong's "one small step" signified a completely new achievement for humankind. Learn about the mission that put the first man on the moon.

Believe it or not, to get to space and back, NASA relies on a piece of technology that's been around for centuries. Just what is a gimbal, anyway?

People around the world watched as Neil Armstrong touched the moon and declared, "That's one small step for man; one giant leap for mankind." But how did we put a man on the moon?

Since its inception in the late '50s, NASA has accomplished some amazing technical feats. But what are some of the administration's greatest moments?

We've discovered numerous planets orbiting other stars in our galaxy, but how and why? Find out how planet hunting works.

Explore the historic space voyages, technology and people that have shaped 50 years of NASA.

If you take cosmic dust and add plasma ... do you get life? Findings suggest that plasma crystals may be the key to one of the universe's greatest mysteries: Is there life out there?

This passive-aggressive peacetime contest between the USSR and the U.S. unofficially ended with the U.S. moon landing. But the Soviets also touted a long list of space race accomplishments. Who won?

It was a small step for a man, a giant leap for mankind. But some people say that the moon landings never happened at all. Why all the conspiracy theories?

It may sound like the stuff of science fiction thrillers, but military space stations were once very real. What seemed so tantalizing about a military presence in space?

Imagine waking up in the morning, looking out your window and seeing the planet Earth below you. What would it be like to live in space? Find out all about the International Space Station.

I've heard that Russia's Mir station will be brought down out of orbit and crashed to Earth soon. How will they do that?