This webcast features a panel of NASA scientists and engineers discussing the future of extrasolar planet research and the science behind a rare astronomical event: Venus crossing the Sun?s disk for about seven hours on June 8, 2004, an event not seen since 1882. The transit demonstrates a key technique being used to detect planets orbiting stars outside our Solar System. Just as Venus temporarily ... Full description.

This product uses a collection of Hubble Space Telescope (HST) images of galaxies in the Coma Cluster, and engages students in an inquiry-based learning activity studying the evolution of galaxies in dense clustered environments. Students learn the basics of galaxy classification by making use of the HST images to discover a "morphology-density effect," and will then make hypotheses about the cause ... Full description.

This product illustrates how scientists learn about the composition of an asteroid by studying energy and neutrons that emanate from it. The Dawn spacecraft contains three instruments -- the Gamma Ray and Neutro Detector (GRaND), the Visible Infrared Spectrometer, and the Framing Camera -- that will provide answers to questions about the formation and evolution of the early solar system. Full description.

Epo's Chronicles is a weekly web comic which takes place in the distant future. The comic follows a fictional storyline incorporating both recent and classic scientific discoveries from NASA missions while educating the reader. The primary goal of Epo's Chronicles is to teach space science in an engaging format. Accompanying each episode are explanatory notes and glossary entries to help explain the ... Full description.

This article presents information about the radiation hazards facing astronauts who travel to Mars. It covers the types of radiation including the most dangerous, galactic cosmic rays (GCRs), the damage it does to the body, and methods of shielding against it. One can also listen to this story via streaming audio or a downloadable file. Full description.

Users can subscribe to this free service, which will automatically send a new podcast each day. Topics include nanotechnology, astrophysics and space, observing Earth, and the human world. Full description.

Podcasting is the distribution of audio or video files, such as radio programs or music videos, over the Internet using services such as Real Simple Syndication (RSS) or Atom syndication. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is presenting podcasts of short reports on NOAA science and research. They are in mp3 format for easy downloads to desktop and laptop computers, and to mobile ... Full description.

This webcast interview with Alan Alda (on Earth) and astronaut Andrew Thomas (on the Russian Space Station Mir) was conducted on March 23, 1998, with about half of the astronaut's stay aboard Mir behind him. The American presence aboard Mir is yielding important information about how humans can survive and thrive in space for long durations. That knowledge is helping to build a foundation for a human ... Full description.

Living on Earth with Steve Curwood is the weekly environmental news and information program distributed by National Public Radio. Every week approximately 300 National Public Radio stations broadcast Living on Earth's news, features, interviews and commentary on a broad range of ecological issues. Users can play or download mp3 files of this radio broadcast. They can choose the current week's show, ... Full description.

Coral reef ecologist Jeremy Jackson lays out the shocking state of the ocean today: overfished, overheated, polluted, with indicators that things will get much worse. A leader in the study of the ecology and evolution of marine organisms, Jeremy Jackson is known for his deep understanding of geological time. This 18:19 minute film, filmed as part of Mission Blue Voyage in April, 2010, is one of four ... Full description.