Have you ever looked at the stars and noticed how beautiful they are? To get a better look at these stars and to find out more about outer space, NASA and other space agencies use space stations and spaceships.

Did you know that the Mir has been so successful that the International Space Station will be built the same way? In the Mir Space Station, they paint the walls of the living section so the astronauts and cosmonauts feel at home.

The International Space Station will be 4 times larger than the Mir. The International Space Station contains a 55-foot robotic arm built by the Canadians. Astronauts will study the human body on the International Space Station to help find a cure for cancer and diabetes.

Did you know that the X-38 will be the first spacecraft in 20 years to be designed to return humans to Earth? The X-38 also lands a little different than other spacecrafts.

The space shuttle, with its robotic arm, helped to put together the Mir Space Station. The space shuttle’s engines were the first reusable space engines. One day, the space shuttle will be replaced by the X-33.

The Challenger was the first spacecraft to have a teacher on it, but she never made it into space. Find out why.