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How Mars Works
Since the 1960s, we've been captivated by our planetary neighbor. How different is the planet next door, and what have we learned about it so far, compliments of the Phoenix Mars Lander and other spacecraft?
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THE SOLAR SYSTEM
In the Solar System Channel, you can explore the planets and celestial objects around our own sun. Learn about topics such as Mars, Jupiter and the Moon.
Stuff You Should Know
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10 Ways to Stop a Killer AsteroidKiller asteroids are all fun and games -- until they're headed for Earth. How do we stop cosmic hot potatoes from wiping out our planet? See more »
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Are major solar flares coming in 2012?
Doomsday theorists might expect 2012 to be a year of ray-gun-style solar flares, but their assumptions aren't at all backed up by science. What are solar flares, and what happens if they really do hit the Earth? See more »
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Can someone own the moon?
A lunar land rush is the most likely thing in the world (or, rather, out of it). As private companies gaze spaceward with dollar signs in their eyes, it's time to start settling some questions about space ownership, use and management. See more »
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Could an extremely powerful solar flare destroy all the electronics on Earth?
The occasional sunspot, like sunspot 1302 that's currently messing with the planet's magnetosphere, can interrupt communications here on Earth. Major solar flares have the potential to cause more havoc. Could a flare-up wipe out all our electronics? See more »
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Could we stop an asteroid on a collision course toward Earth?
We can't defy the odds forever of an asteroid taking a turn for Earth, so the world's astronomers watch the sky. What happens once they spot something? See more »
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Did the moon doom the Titanic?
One tragic, moonless night in April 1912, the Titanic slid into the depths of the North Atlantic Ocean -- for good. A crew of Texas State academics now thinks Earth's favorite satellite may have some explaining to do. See more »
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How Asteroid Belts Work
Asteroid belts aren't quite the dense fields of gigantic spinning rocks that you may have seen in a "Star Wars" film, but they're still fascinating. In fact, the main asteroid belt may tell us how our entire solar system came into existence. See more »
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How big does a meteor have to be to make it to the ground?
Where I live it is pretty common to see "shooting stars" -- streaks of light in the sky at night. How big is a shooting star? Do they land on earth or do they burn up? Do they land on the ground as meteorites? See more »
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How did a meteor make hundreds of people sick?
A ball of fire blazed through southern Peru and left a huge crater -- and then villagers started getting sick. Early reports said the groundwater boiled and the air filled with sulfur. What happened? See more »
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How do planets form?
It's tough to wrap your mind around a time when the Earth wasn't here. So how do Earth and the rest of the planets out there get their start in the universe? See more »
