November 3, 2011
Timeline of Mars Exploration, from 1960 to 2011 [Interactive]
Two Mars missions are scheduled to launch this month. How have their predecessors fared? Find out more in Exploring the Red Planet
Stories by John Matson
John Matson is a former reporter and editor for Scientific American who has written extensively about astronomy and physics.
The SciencesNovember 1, 2011
Arithmetic Progression: U.S. Education Assessment Shows Modest but Steady Gains in Math Scores
The so-called Nation's Report Card shows some progress in bringing U.S. students up to speed in mathematics
Space & PhysicsNovember 1, 2011
On the Trail of Space Trash
The U.S. Air Force has a new plan to track tiny pieces of orbiting debris
Space & PhysicsOctober 28, 2011
Hard Rock: Asteroid Lutetia May Be an Intact Leftover from Planetary Formation
A 2010 flyby by the Rosetta spacecraft showed Lutetia to be dense and dusty, a probable member of the planetesimal population that coalesced to form Earth and other planets
Space & PhysicsOctober 25, 2011
Northern Lights Go South: Geomagnetic Storm Lights U.S. Skies with Auroral Display
Aurorae were visible Monday across the U.S. Midwest and into the Deep South
Space & PhysicsOctober 24, 2011
Soggy Solar System: Exoplanet Nursery Holds Massive Amount of Water
A protoplanetary disk 175 light-years away looks to contain enough water to coat newborn planets with oceans thousands of times over
EnvironmentOctober 22, 2011
An American Cycling in Paris: My Ode to Bike Sharing
The SciencesOctober 20, 2011
Infrared Cameras Debut in Baseball Telecast for World Series [Video]
Space & PhysicsOctober 12, 2011
Pluto Might Be the Largest Dwarf Planet, after All
Space & PhysicsOctober 7, 2011
Double Impact: Did 2 Giant Collisions Turn Uranus on Its Side?
A pair of giant impacts early in solar system history could reconcile the dramatic tilt of Uranus with the equatorial orbit of its satellites
The SciencesOctober 6, 2011
Hot and Cold: Dwarf Planet Makemake Could Have Extreme Temperatures Side by Side
Space & PhysicsOctober 5, 2011
Conjoined Comet: Hartley 2 May Have Formed from 2 Disparate Bodies
The two ends of Comet Hartley 2 seem to have different compositions, hinting that the comet formed from the gentle merger of two parent objects
October 4, 2011
Planetary Pretender: Asteroid Vesta Has Planet-Like Features
NASA's Dawn spacecraft is getting up close and personal with the giant asteroid, revealing rift valleys, mountainous uplifts and a belt of grooves near its equator
October 3, 2011
Hot, Odd and Curious: NASA Orbiter Reveals Mercury to Be Surprisingly Complex
The innermost planet turns out to be much more intriguing than it appeared at first blush
The SciencesSeptember 29, 2011
Tevatron Collider Set to Shut Down for Good on Friday
Space & PhysicsSeptember 28, 2011
NASA Figures Show That Commercial Rocket Costs Less Than Half as Much as Government-Run Effort Would
The SciencesSeptember 27, 2011
See the Stormy Sun That Produced Yesterday's Geomagnetic Disturbance [Video]
The SciencesSeptember 26, 2011
Faster-Than-Light Neutrinos? Physics Luminaries Voice Doubts
We asked a number of physicists for their reaction to the announcement of neutrinos breaking the cosmic speed limit
The SciencesSeptember 23, 2011
UARS Satellite Reentered Atmosphere over Pacific Ocean, NASA Says [Updated]
The SciencesSeptember 21, 2011
Your Friday Forecast: Sunny, with a 1-in-21-Trillion Chance of Getting Hit by Orbital Debris
HealthSeptember 21, 2011
Annual Nobel Predictions Announced, but Forecasting Prizes Remains a Tricky Business
EnvironmentSeptember 20, 2011
10 Scientists among 2011 MacArthur Foundation "Genius Grant" Winners
The SciencesSeptember 20, 2011
A Plethora of Planets: Number of Known Exoplanets Soaring
The SciencesSeptember 15, 2011
Photographer Vincent Fournier Opens Eerie Window on the World's Space Programs [Video]