Buzz Aldrin's Case For A 'Mission To Mars'
In Mission To Mars, astronaut Buzz Aldrin lays out his plans for getting Americans on Mars by 2035.
Space
Exploring An Ever-Expanding Universe
Saul Perlmutter shared the 2011 Nobel Prize in physics for his discovery that the universe was expanding at an accelerating rate. Perlmutter explains how supernovae and other astronomical artifacts are used to measure the expansion rate, and explains what physicists are learning about "dark energy" — the mysterious entity thought to be driving the acceleration.
Virgin Galactic Reaches Milestone In Space Tourism Industry
Virgin Galactic, Richard Branson's space tourism venture, cleared a big hurdle Monday with its first powered test flight. Virgin Galactic plans to start taking "space tourists" for rides early next year. A ticket is expected to cost $200,000.
Can You Hear Me Now? Cellphone Satellites Phone Home
Never mind the big-budget NASA satellites. A team of young engineers has tricked out a few off-the-shelf cellphones and sent them to space. The smartphones are already above us, sending images and data back to ham radio operators on Earth.
Studying Earth To Learn About Mars
Southern Utah's landscape looks a lot like images from the Mars rovers. Marjorie Chan explains how Utah geology might help explain data sent back from Mars missions. Charles Killian describes how people are simulating what it might be like to one day live and work on Mars.
Kepler Telescope Spots 3 New Planets In The 'Goldilocks Zone'
The planets orbiting far-off stars are close to Earth-sized and are a distance from their suns that makes their surfaces neither too hot nor too cold. Since launching in 2009, the Kepler telescope has identified more than 100 planets.
Origin Of 'Mercury' Meteorite Still Puzzles Scientists
The rock found in Morocco was even weirder than it looked. The olive green chunk, speckled with white and brown, has chemical and physical properties similar to the planet Mercury. But some experts doubt that the 4.56-billion-year-old meteorite is from the planet closest to our sun.
Sensor On Space Station May Have Seen Hints Of Elusive Dark Matter
The finding could be a milestone in the decades-long search for the universe's missing material. But some scientists urge caution, saying it's possible the particles seen by the sensor on the International Space Station could have come from somewhere else.
How Cosmic Collisions Have Shaped Our Solar System
From the rocky fragments in Saturn's rings to Earth's own moon, our solar system bears signs of an ancient demolition derby. Planetary scientist Erik Asphaug describes the role of impacts in our planetary neighborhood, and looks ahead to a possible comet collision on Mars.
Studying Rocks Found On Earth For Clues About Space
With samples from over 1,800 separate meteorite falls around the world, ASU's Center for Meteorite Studies claims the world's largest university-based meteorite collection. Meenakshi Wadhwa explains how meteorites can teach researchers about the history of the solar system.