Welcome! This is your source for detailed, accurate information about the world of space exploration, from shuttle missions and assembly of the international space station to statistics, demographic data and coverage of planetary exploration across the solar system. No attempt is made to duplicate NASA's many space pages or others devoted to daily news. Rather, the goal here is to provide a level of detail and objectivity not readily available elsewhere.

The CBS News Space Reporter's Handbook, available from the Downloads page before each shuttle flight, provides a wealth of hard-to-get information while SpaceCalc, a suite of Excel spreadsheets, is available in both PC and Macintosh formats for armchair flight controllers who want to track a launch or mission in more detail.

The Space Place is written, edited and maintained by CBS News space consultant William Harwood, who has covered America's space program full time for more than 25 years, focusing on space shuttle operations, planetary exploration and astronomy. Based at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Harwood provides up-to-the-minute space reports for CBS News and regularly contributes to Spaceflight Now and The New York Times.

During space shuttle missions, Harwood provides timely and detailed email updates about the flight. Click here to start receiving Bill's email updates.