Anniversaries
The First Probe to Visit Two Planets Launched on this Day in 1973
Mariner 10 was the first probe to visit Mercury, to use a gravitational slingshot maneuver, to hit up two planets in one mission, and to photograph Venus and Mercury up close. Not bad for a drama queen.
The Other First Moon Landing
Apollo 11 achieved the first crewed Moon landing in 1969. Ten years earlier, it was the Soviets who had the edge with Luna 2.
The Brave Bitches Who First Orbited Earth and Lived to Bark About It
Laika may have been the first animal to orbit the Earth, but Belka and Strelka were the first to survive the journey.
The Psychology of the ‘Beautiful Without Your Glasses' Trope
In honor of the 15th anniversary of The Princess Diaries, we took a look at one common theme among infamous makeover montages for "beautiful all along" characters like Mia Thermopolis.
Why the First Close-Up Image of Mars Was Hastily Painted in Pastels
On July 14, 1965, Mariner 4 snapped pictures of Mars, revealing what an alien planet looked like for the first time.
Short Film Celebrates First Spacecraft to Send Data Back from Another Planet
Venera 4 threw itself into the Venusian inferno so we wouldn’t have to.
Why Do More People Not Know About Helen Sharman, the First Brit in Space?
25 years ago today, Helen Sharman became the first Brit in space.
The First Lunar Orbiter Was Programmed to Sing Communist Anthems from the Moon
After a five-year-long losing streak, Luna 10 helped revive the Soviet Luna space program.
Growing Up With the Space Race
Roger Easton Jr. reflects on the legacy of his father, Roger Lee Easton, who led Project Vanguard, America’s answer to Sputnik.
Wikipedia Celebrates Its 15th Birthday With 15 Data Visualizations of the Site
These truly impressive data visualizations showcase the might of Wikipedia.
Celebrate the Saturn V’s Birthday by Watching the Largest Rocket in History Fly
Even Walter Cronkite lost his mind.
The Unlikely 20th Anniversary of Dead Fucking Last's 'Proud to Be'
Back when Epitaph Records was shipping out trucks full of Offspring, Pennywise, and Rancid albums, they quietly released this underrated purist ode to 80s SoCal hardcore.