The meaning of human spaceflight: 20 essays on its 50th anniversary. The team overseeing the satellite observatory Kepler is unveiling a list of 400 stars that are the best bets for harboring planets that could be the most Earth-like worlds discovered. Is the Earth's sixth mass extinction almost here? Something new under the Sun: Scientists are probing deep beneath the surface of our nearest star to calculate its profound effect on Earth. A review of Voyages of Discovery: The Missions of the Space Shuttle Discovery by Robert A. Adamcik. A review of Chasing the Sun: The Epic Story of the Star That Gives Us Life by Richard Cohen. Exoplanets cast doubt on astronomical theories: Planets in other solar systems are set to change ideas on how worlds form. How's this for an astronomical estimate? There are at least 50 billion exoplanets in our galaxy. The more new planets we find, the less we seem to know about how planetary systems are born. Two separate quests, one to discover habitable worlds, the other to synthesize artificial organisms, now unite to redefine life and its place in the universe. Extremophiles: Clara Moskowitz on the world's weirdest life. A team of scientists is re-engineering cells to create a mirror image of life on Earth. From white dwarfs to dark matter clouds, the universe may have many homes for habitable planets. An interview with East German cosmonaut Sigmund Jahn: "Capitalism now reigns in space". Infoporn: Here is an exoplanet atlas. Forget space travel, it's just a dream: The clash of two titans — physics and chemistry — are major barriers to human space travel to Mars and beyond, and may well make it impossible, at least with existing technologies. A review of Moon: A Brief History by Bernd Brunner. Some time this year, Nasa’s Space Shuttle will touch down for the last time; bereft of their jobs and their mission, what will happen to the people of Florida’s Space Coast?
