NASA BIRTHDAY

Houston, we have a birthday. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration turns 50 on Oct. 1 and will celebrate the only way it knows how: with lots of space geekery. Through September and October, you can ring in a half-century of interplanetary exploration at events held across the country.

Two Future Forums will take place in Boston and Chicago on Sept. 18 and Oct. 9, respectively. Listen as experts discuss how space exploration helps things like engineering and the economy. Also in Chicago, attend the 2008 NextFest on Oct. 2 and view new technology from all over the world at more than 150 interactive exhibits.

Ongoing NASA events include Space: A Journey to Our Future (through Jan. 11), an exhibit at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C., where you can experience what life on the moon feels like; and NASA Art: Fifty Years of Exploration, opening Oct. 25 in Bonita Springs, Florida, featuring photos and artwork from Annie Leibovitz, Norman Rockwell, Andy Warhol, and others. You can even buy silver collectible coins of the sun, eight planets, the Hubble Telescope, and that on-again, off-again planet, Pluto.

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Learn even more about NASA’s birthday and all the planned celebrations at the official anniversary site.

Relive some of the iconic moments from NASA’s history by watching this video montage. Discovery also offers its top five NASA videos, including footage of a comet losing its tail after it smashes into a cloud of magnetized gas.

Apollo, Mercury, Gemini: Ever wonder how NASA picks its program names? Former NASA historian Roger Launius explains the agency’s naming process in this NPR interview.