Space

Almost everyone dreams of floating effortlessly like astronauts in space. The Zero Gravity Corporation offers this experience to the public. Go inside G-FORCE-ONE to find out what it's like to somersault in zero gravity and how simulating weightlessness works.

By Jonathan Strickland

We know it's not made of green cheese, but what are the origins of the moon? Learn astronomers' theories about where the moon came from.

By Tracy V. Wilson

We know who won - top-runner SpaceShipOne. We know what the team receives for that accomplishment: $10 million and an obscenely gigantic trophy. But what about the story behind the contest? Learn about the rules, restrictions, red tape, test crashes, successful launches and the technological innovations that may get you into sub-orbit sooner than you think.

By Lacy Perry

The thought of terraforming Mars is one of those ideas so outrageous that it just might work! Learn how it will work!

By Kevin Bonsor

Why does the moon look so much bigger when it is near the horizon than when it is high up in the sky? This question has been pondered for hundreds if not thousands of years, and is commonly referred to as the moon illusion.

Of course we want to go to Mars. Until we figure it out though, roving robots with names like Spirit, Opportunity, Sojourner and Curiosity are our best bet for digging up dirt on our nearest planetary neighbor. Want to go along for the ride?

By Marshall Brain & Kate Kershner

Jupiter is the largest planet in the solar system. Big as this gas giant is though, next to the sun, it's still small.

By Mark Mancini

Mercury is the closest planet to the sun, and it's the smallest in the solar system. So why does it have longer days than we have on Earth?

By Mark Mancini

While we generally picture the sun and planets when thinking about our solar system, it also consists of comets, asteroids and hundreds of moons.

By Nicole Antonio

Neptune is the eighth planet from the sun and one of the coldest. It also has supersonic winds that are the fastest in the solar system.

By Mark Mancini

Uranus is the seventh planet from the sun and sits on an axial plane tilted at a jaw-dropping 97.7-degree angle. And yes, Uranus does actually stink.

By Mark Mancini

The atmospheric pressure is crushingly extreme on Venus, and lead would melt into a puddle on its surface. But as hellish as this place sounds, it actually has a lot in common with Earth.

By Mark Mancini

Saturn is the sixth planet from the sun and the second-largest planet in the solar system. This gas giant has more rings and moons than any other planet.

By Mark Mancini

Some of the most interesting objects in our solar system are also the smallest or largest. In addition to the sun, planets, and moons, our solar system has a variety of small objects such as asteroids, comets, stars, meteors, and moons. These have affected what has happened on Earth in many ways.

NASA needs a vehicle capable of carrying crew and payloads to Earth orbit, the moon and Mars. Learn about the technologies of the new Crew Exploration Vehicle and find out how it will help us explore the moon and beyond.

By Craig Freudenrich, Ph.D.

It's launch time for the first privately funded space flight. In the course of battle for the X Prize, a group called Scaled Composites has built and tested SpaceShipOne, a sub-orbital spacecraft intended to carry tourists on the ride of their life. Learn all about the craft.

By Robert Valdes

Even though it's tiny compared to the rest of the universe, Earth is a complex planet that, so far, is the only one we know of that sustains life.

By Kathryn Whitbourne & Mark Mancini

Because an Earth-like environment is created within a spacesuit, it allows you to walk around in space in relative safety. But outer space is an extremely hostile place and could kill you if you aren't protected.

By Marshall Brain

If you spent a year on Mars, you would need to take more food and water than you could possibly carry. But if you had to go, how much would be enough?

By Marshall Brain

A new space race is on -- who will be the first to build a space hotel? One company has gathered 3 billion dollars to do just that. Find out what life in a luxury space hotel might be like.

By Jacob Silverman

People around the world watched as Neil Armstrong touched the moon and declared, "That's one small step for man; one giant leap for mankind." But how did we put a man on the moon?

By Stephanie Watson

Spring Heeled Jack is a legendary English character. He was a mysterious a Victorian-era murderer, leaping from rooftop to rooftop, leaving a trail of tragedy in his wake. Read why some think Spring Heeled Jack may have been an alien humanoid.

By the Editors of Publications International, Ltd.

The Oz Factor is a sensation that UFO witnesses experience. Learn where the term "Oz Factor" came from, and what the experience is like.

By the Editors of Publications International, Ltd.

In 1897 Alexander Hamilton reported a cow abduction by a UFO that appeared at his farm in Kansas. How did he fool people for half a century, and even get the made-up story in the newspaper?

By the Editors of Publications International, Ltd.

Richard Sharpe Shaver was a controversial UFO storyteller promoted by magazine editor Ray Palmer in the 1940s. Shave wrote amazing stories about aliens called deros and teros. Some called him a crackpot; some called him a prophet.

By the Editors of Publications International, Ltd.