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Hit and miss missions to Mars Most of the early missions to Mars failed, but by the mid-70s, orbiters circled the red planet, and some landers sat safely on its surface. We also have a look at a few Martian mirages, when astronomers squinting threw telescopes saw things that weren’t actually there.
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Of time and tides and Mercury The smallest planet in our solar system is also the fastest and closest to our sun. In fact, on occasion, the sun will reverse direction in Mercury’s skies. Join us for a look at this good thing in a small package.
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Robots, saving lives and curing cancer With a side trip to the largest robots in the world, we talk about robots used for search and rescue, and some very small robots being developed to fight illness.
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The robot apocalypse is nigh In honor of Halloween, we get just a little bit spooky this week. With more and more robots in the world, and with said robots becoming smarter over time, what happens if they turn against us and start to harm humans? In fact, it has already happened.
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Pumps, plumbing, and weird water One of the earliest things humanity automated was the moving of liquids—irrigation, draining mines, and removal of waste. From five-thousand years ago to today, we take a look at pumps, plumbing, and some of the weirdness of water.