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For Sale: A Chunk Of Mars
October 12, 2012 A meteorite from Mars hit the Moroccan desert in 2011. Now its otherworldly fragments are telling scientists about the history of the red planet. You, too, can own a piece of Martian history — if you've got a couple hundred thousand dollars to spare.
Krulwich Wonders...
Sun Goes Down. Up Comes A Mystery
October 12, 2012 A child's question and an old paradox: If the sky is filled with stars, why is it dark at night? Physicists say the answer lies in those deep dark spaces between stars — evidence of our expanding universe.
Krulwich Wonders...
Eat Your Heart Out, Columbus: A Sailing Ship That Travels On Sunshine
October 8, 2012 Sailing voyages on Earth required explorer to harness the wind and waves. However, Japanese scientists have developed a method of cosmic sailing fueled by light particles, or photons. The "kite-craft," named IKAROS, deployed its sails and has already sailed past Venus.
13.7: Cosmos And Culture
Welcome To The Third Copernican Revolution
October 3, 2012 In 1543 Copernicus moved the Earth from the center of the cosmos to a less exalted position. In 1924 Hubble did it again, moving our galaxy from the center of the universe to its place in the crowd. Are we on the verge of realizing our universe also is just one among many?
Krulwich Wonders...
Are Those Spidery Black Things On Mars Dangerous? (Maybe)
October 3, 2012 From Earth, lifeless Mars can seem like a serene and boring planet. However, scientists noticed some little black dots in a satellite image of the Martian sand that may hint at an exciting, explosive geography.
NASA's Curiosity Finds Water Once Flowed On Mars
September 28, 2012 NASA's newest Mars rover snapped photos of rocky outcroppings that jut out from the alien soil. Scientists say they look like the remnants of an ancient stream bed where water once flowed on the surface of the red planet.
The Two-Way
Streams Of Water Once Flowed On Mars; NASA Says Photos Prove It
September 27, 2012 NASA's Curiosity rover has found definitive proof that water once ran across the surface of Mars, the agency announced today. NASA scientists say that new photos from the rover show rocks that were smoothed and rounded by water. The rocks are in a large canyon and nearby channels that were cut by flowing water, making up an alluvial fan.
13.7: Cosmos And Culture
Looking For Answers Beyond The Cosmic Horizon
September 26, 2012 The notion that the Big Bang is like an exploding bomb is completely wrong. But what, then, lies beyond the edge of space? Can we ever know whether the Universe is infinite?
The Two-Way
Touchdown: Space Shuttle Endeavour Lands In Los Angeles
September 21, 2012 Riding piggy-back atop a Boeing 747, the shuttle performed a fly-by at several iconic spots, from Malibu and Santa Monica to the Getty Center, the Griffith Observatory, and Vandenberg Air Force Base.