Ben Evans
Recent articles by Ben Evans
What the Cassini-Huygens mission discovered at Saturn
A history of the Cassini-Huygens mission at Saturn and Titan.
Astronomy History | How JFK kickstarted the race to the Moon
Kennedy's Moon Shot speech to US Congress speech kickstarted the US lunar programme. But why did JFK want to send astronauts to the Moon, and how did the race begin?
'How we fixed Hubble': An interview with former astronaut Story Musgrave
Story Musgrave recalls his experiences as part of the team to repair the Hubble Space Telescope's mirror.
What was wrong with Hubble's mirror, and how was it fixed?
Almost straight after deployment, Hubble’s optics were found to be flawed. But the telescope eventually recovered its reputation.
How did the Hubble Space Telescope come about?
30 years on, it feels like Hubble has always been observing the night sky. But how did this audacious project come about?
Why did astronauts service the Hubble Space Telescope?
Hubble’s in-built maintainability proved its saving grace, meaning it could be regularly serviced by astronauts to keep it up to date with emerging technology.
'How we serviced Hubble': astronaut Mike Massimino on fixing the famous space telescope
Mike Massimino knows all too well what it took to keep Hubble going. He was one of many NASA astronauts who serviced the space telescope.
Apollo astronauts: the original social distancers?
Crammed into a small space and without physical contact with the rest of the world, were the Apollo astronauts the original social distancers?
The history of the Saturn V rocket
The story and facts behind the Saturn V rocket that launched human beings to the Moon.
NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope: the legacy of a Universe in infrared
After 16 years of trailblazing infrared observations, in January 2020 the Spitzer Space Telescope reaches retirement. Ben Evans reports on its astonishing legacy.
What did the Galileo mission discover at Jupiter?
The history of NASA's Galileo probe and its discoveries in the Jovian system.
NASA's Space Shuttle: the history of the reusable spacecraft
NASA's Space Shuttle launched in 1981 and flew its final mission in 2011. Over three decades its 135 missions changed spaceflight forever.
How Pluto's moon Charon was discovered
Pluto's moon Charon was discovered on 22 June 1978 by US astronomer James Christy while examining images of Pluto. We explore how this momentous find came to be.