The Solar System
Magnetic Storms (Edition 46, No. 2)
The sun spits out fiery blobs of magnetism that can disrupt our satellite communications. A brand new warning system could save us from these technology threatening storms.
Life on Europa (Edition 43, No. 4)
Europa is a freezing cold moon covered with craters that circles Jupiter. But scientists think it might have a liquid ocean and be our best chance for finding extra-terrestrial life in our solar system.
Listening to the Heavens (Edition 43, No. 8)
When something breaks into the earth's atmosphere it makes a thundering boom. Scientists listen for these noises in order to track dangerous meteors.
Microwave-powered Satellites (Edition 43, No. 12)
Satellites need scorching hot fuel to function. And what's better than a microwave at getting things hot?
Great Wall of China (Edition 42, No. 10)
Radar on the space shuttle has been mapping the globe. To everyone's surprise it found the remnants of an even older wall.
Mars Paleontology (Edition 41, No. 3)
Mars certainly doesn't support life now, but did it once? NASA is organizing an attempt to look for ancient fossils on Mars.
Saturn's Rings (Edition 41, No. 10)
They're huge, they're icy and they're evaporating great rolls of steam into the air. Hubble Space Telescope recently got up close and personal with Saturn's Rings and learned some interesting things.
Antimatter Rockets (Edition 40, No. 12)
Antimatter sounds like science fiction nonsense, but it's real stuff, that physicists can produce. Now they're trying to see if it could be the rocket fuel of the future.
Space Spuds (Edition 39, No. 9)
A diet of Tang and dehydrated ice cream may sound ideal to kids, but its not going to keep astronauts very healthy for very long. But when there's no gravity, it's tough to grow food. Now, the first space potato has been grown.
History of the Sahara (Edition 39, No. 18)
The Sahara conjures up images of a vast, scorching wasteland. But it wasn't always that way. The space shuttle is now examining the Sahara for vestiges of ancient river beds.
Space Travel (Edition 38, No. 2)
With current technology it takes a couple of days to get to the moon. . . not to mention billions of dollars. One visionary thinks we can cut the time down to several hours, and the cost down to thousands if we build a solar powered highway.
Needles in a Haystack (Edition 38, No. 5)
Even tougher than finding a needle in a haystack, this highly advanced radar system can find a needle in outerspace--which is important, because a needle in orbit travels so fast it could destroy a satelite.
Comet Nursery (Edition 38, No. 6)
Where do baby comets come from? Their home has just been found. The stork doesn't bring them . . . they start out in a huge belt of millions of comets and meteors way out beyond Pluto.
Climate Clues (Edition 38, No. 7)
Like tree rings that describe the age and history of a tree, glaciers have layers and layers of ice that hold clues about the earth's climate for the past 250,000 years.
Star Babies (Edition 37, No. 7)
Just what is it about our sun that made it conducive to the creation of life? Most importantly, it's an only child.
Star Clocks (Edition 36, No. 3)
Certain stars spin at up to 800 times per second, and their rotation is so regular they are more accurate than an atomic clock. This has been used to discover all sorts of things in the galaxy--even planets.
The Solar System's Edge (Edition 36, No. 8)
Launched 15 years ago, two NASA spacecraft--Voyagers 1 and 2 are still sending back information as they head for the very edge of the solar system.
Sun Music (Edition 36, No. 15)
We see the sun all the time. . . but listen to it? The sun actually makes sound, and it's teaching astronomers something about its composition.
Moon Mirror (Edition 35, No. 10)
The first astronauts on the moon left a giant mirror sitting on the moon surface. Simply by bouncing a laser beam off it, scientists have been learning all sorts of things ever since.
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