Sputnik 1, launched by the Soviet Union on 4 October 1957, marking the beginning of the space race in the midst of the Cold War with the United States

approximately 149 million kilometres on average, although it varies between 147 and 152 million kilometres because the Earth's orbit is elliptical

9.46 trillion kilometres! It is the length travelled by light in 365 days and is used to measure the distances between most celestial bodies

uses digital image processing technology that originated in NASA's Apollo programme to study samples collected on the Moon

orbit around a star, be nearly spherical, and not share its orbit with other objects. Pluto lost its status as a planet in 2006 for failing to meet this last requirement

is more massive than the average star in its surroundings

are coated with a diamond-like carbon film that protected astronauts' visors from space dust

was the response in 1954 to the need for an efficient and lightweight energy source for space missions

are based on the CMOS sensor developed by NASA in the late 1980s to take photos of Earth from space while consuming very little energy

its temperature, its luminosity, and its color, as well as the way it will live and die