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Year of Astronomy -
To mark in 2009 the International Year of Astronomy and 400 years since Galileo made his first telescope observations, Nature has commissioned a series of special articles and reviews. From telescopes to planets, stars, galaxies and cosmology, plus commentary on the state of the field from top experts, we hope they will make you look at the universe with new eyes.
Venus Express -
Venus Express is the first mission to Venus in 15 years. It was built by the European Space Agency, launched from Baikonur on a Soyuz-Fregat launcher on 9 November 2005. It arrived at Venus on 11 April 2006 and is in a polar orbit, with a period of ~24 hours. Since arrival its suite of instruments have been collecting data on the atmosphere and magnetosphere. Eight Letters describe the results obtained so far, while a Progress paper by Svedhem et al. gives an overview of the mission.
Future of Computing -
In the last two decades advances in computing technology, from processing speed to network capacity and the internet, have revolutionized the way scientists work and many recent scientific advances would not have been possible without a parallel increase in computing power - but with revolutionary technologies such as the quantum computer edging towards reality, how long will the current synergy between computing and science last?
Huygens on Titan
Saturn's moon Titan - larger than the planet Mercury and with an atmosphere - has always intrigued astronomers. Results exceeded expectations when the Huygens probe landed on the surface on 15 January 2005. This special Nature web focus presents the latest findings alongside a comprehensive archive of papers about this fascinating moon. The sights and sounds of Huygens' incredible journey are also featured, including a brilliant descent animation. Image: ESA
Mars Exploration: It's not rover yet
NASA's twin Mars Exploration Rovers have clocked up more than 1000 days of geological exploration since their launch in January 2004. Nature presents the latest peer-reviewed papers to come from analysis of the rovers' data alongside an archive of news & views, articles, letters and a FREE image gallery.
Mission to Mars
Every 26 months, Mars and Earth come into an alignment that minimises the fuel needed to journey between the two. Summer 2003, three new spacecraft took off. Nature introduces these missions with interactive graphics and features on the red planet.
Space shuttle disaster
Carrying a plethora of experiments, the ill-fated Columbia mission was the first in over three years to be dedicated to scientific research. Nature reports on all aspects of the disaster, including what it means for the future of the space programme.
Cassini
During the first few days of 2001, the Cassini spacecraft hurtled past Jupiter. Research and features that paint a dramatic picture of the complex interactions between Jupiter's moons and the giant planet itself.
