Browse Archive

  • Dwight D. Eisenhower

    This Month in Exploration - July

    07.01.08 - Fifty years ago, President Eisenhower signed the National Aeronautics and Space Act of 1958, which instituted NASA. Find out what else happened this month in exploration history.

  • Astronaut Sally Ride in Space Shuttle Challenger's cabin during STS-7.

    This Month in Exploration - June

    06.02.08 - Twenty years after cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova became the first woman in space, Sally Ride became the first American woman in space in 1983. Read more historical facts in This Month in Exploration.

  • 1908 flyer

    This Month in Exploration - May

    05.05.08 - One hundred years ago, Charles Furnas became the first airplane passenger. Read more historical facts in This Month in Exploration.

  • spacewalking astronaut

    This Month in Exploration - April

    04.01.08 - Twenty-five years ago, Space Shuttle Challenger embarked on its maiden voyage. During the mission, two astronauts performed the first spacewalk of the shuttle program. Read more historical facts in This Month in Exploration.

  • Vanguard I

    This Month in Exploration - March

    03.03.08 - Fifty years ago, the Naval Research Laboratory launched Vanguard 1, the first solar-powered satellite. Read more historical facts in This Month in Exploration.

  • Bell X-1A Aircraft

    This Month in Exploration - February

    02.01.08 - Fifty-five years ago, the Bell X-1A rocketplane made its first powered flight. Read more historical facts in This Month in Exploration.

  • Explorer 1

    This Month in Exploration - January

    01.03.08 - Fifty years ago, the United States launched its first satellite into space, later discovering the Van Allen Belts. Read more historical facts in This Month in Exploration.

  • Astronaut Eugene Cernan on the moon during the Apollo 17 mission

    This Month in Exploration - December

    12.03.07 - Thirty-five years ago, NASA launched Apollo 17, the last manned mission to the moon so far. Find out what else happened in December in This Month in Exploration.

  • Beech Staggerwing Aircraft

    This Month in Exploration - November

    11.01.07 - Forty years ago, NASA launched the first Saturn V rocket, the largest launch vehicle ever made, to begin the Apollo 4 mission. Read more historical facts in This Month in Exploration.

  • Sputnik

    This Month in Exploration - October

    10.01.07 - Fifty years ago the world's first artificial satellite was launched, triggering the space race between the U.S. and the Soviet Union. Read more historical facts in This Month in Exploration.

  • Voyager Spacecraft

    This Month in Exploration - September

    09.04.07 - Read about the spacecraft that captured this first image of the Earth and moon together in a single frame 30 years ago, along with more fascinating facts in This Month in Exploration.

  • Jupiter Rocket Nose Cone

    This Month in Exploration - August

    08.01.07 - Read why this nose cone from a Jupiter C rocket was so important that President Eisenhower gave a speech about it 50 years ago. Check out more fascinating facts in This Month in Exploration.

  • Louis Bleriot and his monoplane

    This Month in Exploration - July

    07.02.07 - This aviation pioneer covered his aircraft's wings in paper. Find out who he was, and read more fascinating facts in This Month in Exploration.

  • The Extreme Ultraviolet Explorer (EUVE) Satellite

    This Month in Exploration - June

    06.01.07 - The Extreme Ultraviolet Explorer (EUVE) Satellite studied white dwarf stars and binary star systems fifteen years ago. Read more fascinating facts about aviation and space exploration in This Month in Exploration.

  • Boeing-X36 aircraft

    This Month in Exploration - May

    05.01.07 - Ten years ago, this tailless aircraft completed its first flight. Read This Month in Exploration for more quick facts about aviation and exploration history.

  • F-18 Research Vehicle

    This Month in Exploration - April

    04.02.07 - Twenty years ago NASA began testing this F-18 Research Vehicle. Read This Month in Exploration for more quick facts about aviation and exploration history.

  • Vuia2 airplane

    This Month in Exploration - March

    03.01.07 - One hundred years ago, this plane unfolded its wings and flew 33 feet. Read This Month in Exploration for more quick facts about aviation and exploration history.

  • HESSI Observatory

    This Month in Exploration - February

    02.02.07 - Five years ago, NASA launched the High Energy Solar Spectroscopic Imager (HESSI) Observatory to study the behavior of solar flares. Read This Month in Exploration for more quick facts about aviation and exploration history.

  • Stardust Spacecraft

    This Month in Exploration - January

    01.03.07 - In January 2002, the Stardust spacecraft reached its farthest distance from Earth. Check out This Month in Exploration for more interesting facts about aviation and exploration history.

  • TIMED Spacecraft

    This Month in Exploration - December

    12.08.06 - In December 2001, NASA launched a research satellite to study the impact humans have on the least understood part of Earth's atmosphere. Find out the satellite's name, and discover other interesting developments that occurred in December.