Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) created the Space Systems Laboratory (SSL) in 1995 to engage in "cutting edge research projects with the goal of directly contributing to the present and future exploration and development of space." Users can find materials on current and past flight projects such as the Synchronized Position Hold, Engage, Reorient Experimental Satellites (SPHERES) and...

This pdf document highlights many of practical benefits society gains from NASA's work in space flight, space science, earth science, and aeronautics research and technology development. Users can learn how space-based beacon locators are used to provide global rescue systems. The website discusses NASA's work on ways to grow plants using hydroponics as well as how the Hubble Space Telescope...

The NASA Institute for Advanced Concepts (NIAC) is a truly remarkable site about some of the most compelling technology concepts and ideas. The NIAC's aim is to foster creative thinking and support research that could turn today's science fiction into tomorrow's science fact. Numerous projects, both from past efforts and from current investigations, are profiled on the institute's Web site. For...

A massive addition to the NASA Ames Research Park is detailed on this site. Although the project is not scheduled to be completed until 2015, it has been in the planning stages for several years and 2003 marks the beginning of Phase 1. The 98-page NASA Ames Development Plan is available for public viewing online. The new facilities will be designed to accommodate research in "information...

This website from the Jet Propulsion Lab provides over 100 images of NASA's spacecraft and telescopes. The original caption that was released with the image is posted along with the date of the image. The images can be sorted by mission, image release date, name, mission, instrument, or image size and can be downloaded in TIFF or JPEG format. At the time of this report, the sorting function was a...

Through this NASA website, kids will enjoy learning about astronomy through fun games, articles, and activities. Through online storybooks, users can learn about ancient sundials and our sun. The website offers matching games, a short video about Earth's daily cycle, and crossword puzzles. Students can learn how to make sundials, models of planets, solar oven, and many other space science-related...

Through the use of Macromedia Flash Player, this NASA website revisits the key NASA space exploration events and missions of 2004. Users can view videos illustrating the Vision for Space Exploration and articles describing the advances to help make the vision a reality. The website discusses the redesigning of the Shuttle External Fuel Tank and its significance in flight missions. Visitors can...

At this website, the National Public Radio (NPR) offers the latest Space-related news, research, and events. The fascinating articles include links to external websites and related stories, numerous images, useful graphics, and the ability to email the story to friends. Users can search through archived articles as well. For those who like to listen while they work, NPR offers audio for all the...

Part of the Astrophysics Data Facility of the Space Science Data Operations Office at NASA, the Astronomical Data Center provides astronomical catalogs and journal tables to the scientific community. The site includes nine data categories: Astrometric and Positional, Photometric, Spectroscopic, Cross Identifications, Combined and Derived, Miscellaneous, Nonstellar and Extended Objects, Radio...

Created and maintained by physicist Jason Hinson, the Physics and Star Trek Web site investigates faster than light travel and subspace physics. Each topic is presented as a mix of factual information along with speculation on the author's part on how these phenomena could or could not work. Although the site consists of much text and few graphics, which may turn away some potential readers, the...