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Why Do Returning Spacecraft Usually Land In Water?

staff@slashgear.com (Tom Clark) — Tue, 20 Oct 2026 02:15:00 +0000

Designing a craft to achieve space flight is one thing. Getting it back without injury or incident to crew or equipment is something else entirely.

5 Of The Most Powerful Rockets Ever Launched

staff@slashgear.com (Jonathan H. Kantor) — Sun, 18 Oct 2026 10:30:00 +0000

It takes a lot of thrust to break the confines of Earth's gravity, and humanity has gone in search of ever-bigger rockets in order to do just that.

Why Do Telescopes At Observatories Shoot Giant Lasers Into The Sky?

staff@slashgear.com (Zohaib Ahmed) — Wed, 14 Oct 2026 01:15:00 +0000

The spectacular night-time display can help ground-based telescopes rival their space counterparts in accurate observations.

Why Do Rockets Have Those Black And White Checkered Squares?

staff@slashgear.com (Jonathan H. Kantor) — Fri, 02 Oct 2026 19:45:00 +0000

From the Saturn V to the Artemis program, NASA rockets have sported black-and-white patterns for decades. Here's why these unusual markings have stuck around.

Why (And When) Did NASA's Ingenuity Helicopter Stop Flying On Mars?

staff@slashgear.com (Caroline Anschutz) — Tue, 22 Sep 2026 21:45:00 +0000

From a modest tech demo to a historical Martian scout, Ingenuity changed space exploration forever. Here is the story behind its mission.

12 Experimental US Aircraft That Broke Unbelievable Records

staff@slashgear.com (Jonathan H. Kantor) — Wed, 16 Sep 2026 16:30:00 +0000

From the Wright Flyer's first flight in 1903 to 2026 and beyond, U.S.-designed aircraft have been setting and break flight records for over a century.

5 Things You Didn't Know About Starlink Satellites

staff@slashgear.com (Caroline Anschutz) — Sat, 05 Sep 2026 19:45:00 +0000

Starlink may be best known for bringing satellite internet to remote areas, but the thousands of satellites behind the service have some surprising features.

'Spaceport Of The Future': SpaceX Announces Big Plans For Louisiana Marshland

staff@slashgear.com (Rahul Srinivas) — Thu, 03 Sep 2026 18:45:00 +0000

SpaceX has plans for even more launches, but to help make that happen, the company needs more launch sites. Enter its new facility set for Louisiana.

Why Do Some Astronaut Helmets Have Gold-Coated Visors?

staff@slashgear.com (Jonathan H. Kantor) — Tue, 25 Aug 2026 20:15:00 +0000

You may have seen gold visors on astronauts' helmets and wondered where the tint comes from. It turns out there's a good reason for it. Here's what we know.

First-Ever Medical X-Rays In Space Could 'Change The Game' For Astronauts' Health

staff@slashgear.com (Olivia Richman) — Tue, 11 Aug 2026 19:15:00 +0000

As space missions venture farther from Earth, doctors need better ways to diagnose problems. A recent experiment may have unlocked a long-awaited solution.

5 Of The Largest Natural Satellites In Our Solar System

staff@slashgear.com (Jonathan H. Kantor) — Fri, 31 Jul 2026 20:45:00 +0000

Our moon is closer in size to Earth than any other moon in the solar system is to its associated planet, however it is far from the largest moon around.

This Is The First Satellite Constellation Made To Detect Wildfires Before They Grow

staff@slashgear.com (Bob Sharp) — Wed, 29 Jul 2026 15:45:00 +0000

There were more than 40,000 wildfires in the U.S. reported in the first half of 2026. These satellites are designed to reduce the harms these fires pose.

What Is The 25-Year Rule For Satellites?

staff@slashgear.com (Zohaib Ahmed) — Sun, 26 Jul 2026 00:45:00 +0000

There's a specific rule governing what happens to satellites once their job is done, and the figure behind it wasn't chosen by accident.

Reflect Orbital Approved To Launch A Mirrored Satellite For Sunlight Redirection

staff@slashgear.com (Mark Cowley) — Fri, 24 Jul 2026 12:45:00 +0000

The FCC has granted permission to Reflect Orbital to launch the first of possibly 50,000 mirror satellites into orbit for lighting dark corners of the Earth.

Only One Man Got To Fly NASA's X-15 Rocket-Powered Plane & The Space Shuttle

staff@slashgear.com (Jonathan H. Kantor) — Fri, 17 Jul 2026 11:45:00 +0000

Flying either the rocket-powered X-15 or Space Shuttle would already be pretty impressive, but one man actually flew both. This is his story.

This Is The Fastest Speed Ever Recorded For A Man-Made Object

staff@slashgear.com (Eli Shayotovich) — Wed, 15 Jul 2026 11:45:00 +0000

Mankind has developed and built many different very fast objects, often faster than the speed of sound. What's the fastest recorded man-made object so far?

Falling Starlink Satellites Could Be Having An Alarming Effect On The Earth's Atmosphere

staff@slashgear.com (Eric Hamilton) — Mon, 13 Jul 2026 12:45:00 +0000

Satellites and other objects falling from orbit into our atmosphere tend to burn up, but can that harm our atmospheres in ways we don't understand yet?

This UK Satellite's Thermal Camera Raises Major Privacy Concerns

staff@slashgear.com (Tom Clark) — Fri, 10 Jul 2026 18:45:00 +0000

You might have seen or even used a thermal camera before, but this satellite's thermal imaging system is on a whole different level and could spy on you.

What Is The Oldest Artificial Satellite Still Orbiting Earth?

staff@slashgear.com (Tom Clark) — Thu, 09 Jul 2026 03:45:00 +0000

There are tens of thousands of satellites orbiting Earth, some of which are much older than you may expect. The oldest dates back to the dawn of the Space Age.

There Are Good Reasons Why NASA Stopped Using The Space Shuttle

staff@slashgear.com (Bob Sharp) — Mon, 22 Jun 2026 03:45:00 +0000

NASA's Space Shuttle program was a great idea in concept, but flawed execution led to its demise. Here are the problems it was supposed to solve but never did.