It was 40 years ago today (Jan. 28) that the space shuttle Challenger blasted off on its 10th mission to space. Sadly, the vehicle never made it there. Challenger exploded 73 seconds after liftoff ...

At the end of a nearly flawless 15-day mission in early 2003, the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated during reentry into Earth's atmosphere, killing the crew of seven men and women. In this ...

When Space Shuttle Discovery touched down for the last time at Kennedy Space Center Runway 15 on March 9, 2011, it brought to an end a 27-year career of spaceflight. Discovery flew to space 39 times, ...

A memo sent by the Smithsonian said transporting Discovery could swell in price and result in irreparable damage to the space shuttle. On paper, it reads like a riddle: How do you transport a 120-foot ...

On Jan. 28, 1986, the 25th space shuttle mission Challenger left the launchpad in Cape Canaveral, Florida. Seventy-three seconds into flight, Challenger exploded over the Atlantic Ocean as millions of ...

When a spacecraft comes home without people on board, it is not a cinematic failure but a carefully choreographed engineering choice. From military spaceplanes to commercial capsules, uncrewed returns ...

Space Shuttle Columbia and her crew of seven astronauts were lost after the shuttle broke apart during reentry. Columbia was just 16 minutes from landing at the Kennedy Space Center, when Mission ...