Videos

It's often left out of the history books, but NASA wanted to land the Gemini spacecraft on a runway with a paraglider.

The Countdown is a biweekly video show highlighting the best stuff happening in space, astronomy and physics. In this episode: Virgin Galactic Powers Up, One-Way Ticket to Mars, Canadian Space Antics, Saturn Hurricane, Antarctica's Supernova Sand.

We typically think of viruses as harmful. After all, they cause epidemics like influenza, smallpox and AIDS. But bacteriophages, the viruses that kill bacteria, may soon be coming to our rescue. Scientific American's Anna Kuchment explains.

Cats are good sleepers and destroyers of furniture, but why do we never see them swimming? In this episode of Instant Egghead we get to the bottom of this mystery and, oh yeah, also explain the scientific method. Episode written by Robin Lloyd.

The Countdown is a biweekly video show highlighting the best stuff happening in space, astronomy and physics. In this episode: Voyager Hokey Pokey, Mini-Supernovae, Mercury Meteorite, Planck's Map, Birth of Massive Stars

The Countdown is a biweekly video show highlighting the best stuff happening in space, astronomy and physics. In this episode: Exoplanet Composition, Neighborhood Dwarves, Comet Pan-STARRS, Martian Love Boat, The Methuselah Star

Professor Enrique Galvez of Colgate University has built a machine to observe quantum entanglement, the strange phenomenon that Einstein called "spooky action at a distance." Follow this link for the first video in this series: http://goo.gl/YfUuh

Leading up to Yuri Gagarin's historic Vostok 1 flight, the Soviet Union launched two missions with a man-like mannequin, Ivan Ivanovich, on board.

The Countdown is a biweekly video show highlighting the best stuff happening in space, astronomy and physics. In this episode: Mercury's Magma Ocean, Flinging Space Trash, Spectacular Solar Images, Van Allen's Third Belt & Fast-Spinning Black Hole

Dinosaurs died out some 65 million years ago, so how could we possibly determine the color of their skin--or feathers? As Scientific American's Eric R. Olson explains, new fossil evidence is pointing the way. Episode written by Kate Wong.

The Countdown is a biweekly video show highlighting the best stuff happening in space, astronomy and physics. In this episode: Supernova Space Rays, Liquid Lunar Mystery, Red Dwarf Exoplanets, Name Pluto’s Moons and Meteor Attack from Space.

NASA's first orbital triumph was also its first near disaster. John Glenn, already a national hero in 1962, was almost lost in space.