Looks at the USSR's launch of Sputnik and the galvanizing effect it had on America's motivation to fund aerospace research. NASA was soon formed and more funding was put in place for public education in the sciences and math.

Article reports on a new study that claims that the energy released from asteroid collisions may have sparked life on Earth. Includes a list of key vocabulary.

Read the article or listen to the story of remembrances of the Apollo program, especially Apollo 11. Explains some of the challenges of sending astronauts to Mars.