Space

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

When you think about space travel, you probably don't take the time to wonder how astronauts go to the bathroom. However, the annals of aeronautic history abound with space bathroom tales. Here are 10 of our favorites.

By Stephanie Watson

Surely nuclear weapons, which can obliterate entire cities, contain enough destructive power to blow a giant space rock to bits, right? What does NASA make of the whole explosive business?

By Caitlin Uttley

The occasional sunspot can interrupt communications here on Earth. But major solar flares have the potential to cause more havoc. Could a flare-up wipe out all our electronics?

By Jonathan Strickland

Scientists have discovered the existence of water on both our moon and on Mars. Both findings are significant, but what do they mean? Can we use this information to our advantage for space exploration?

By Josh Briggs

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

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

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?

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.

Bob Lazar claimed to have worked in the S-4 section of Area 51. On that top-secret Nevada research base, he claimed to see anti-gravity reactors and flying saucers in person. How truthful were his extravagant tales?

By the Editors of Publications International, Ltd.

George Adamski preached an interplanetary gospel based on contact with UFOs and aliens. Though serious investigators scoffed, he earned wide attention. Read about George Adamski and his "Space Brothers."

By the Editors of Publications International, Ltd.

A look at the night sky at any time of year will reveal a faint band of light stretching across the sky -- our solar system's home, the Milky Way. How much do we really know about it?

By Craig Freudenrich, Ph.D. & Desiree Bowie