Astronaut Love Triangle Highlights Mars Mission Challenge: Avoiding Crazy on Long Flights

As tragic as astronaut Lisa Nowak's apparent breakdown is, NASA can be thankful that it didn't occur during a space mission – and every reason to worry about how to avoid such scenarios during a 30-month trip to Mars. On those missions, the biggest danger could be ourselves.

Building Canada's Epic Ice Road

The truckers who haul 70-ton rigs hundreds of miles across Canada's frozen lakes aren't afraid of much — except warm weather.

Science News

Stem-Cell Fast Food: From NASA to Nourishment

It sounds like a sci-fi nightmare: giant sheets of grayish meat grown on factory racks for human consumption. But it's for real. Using pig stem cells, scientists have been growing lab meat for years, and it could be hitting deli counters sooner than you think.

Boat Wreck Charges, Cory Lidle Update, Midwest Meteor Showers, Apple-Apple Peace and More: News Briefs

After we investigated the capsizing that killed 20, the captain and cruise line owner of the Ethan Allen tour boat have been charged. Plus, NTSB details from the crash of a Yankee, great balls of fire in the sky, and Google gains a rival while Apple loses one.

Underwater Robots: Only the Strong Survive

In the first of a miniseries for his bi-weekly column on why robots are tougher than you, PM's Resident Roboticist goes in-depth (literally) with autonomous underwater vehicles—the Navy's metallic Jacques Cousteaus mapping the sea floor, immune to Mother Nature but vulnerable to five treacherous danger zones.

Remembering Columbia: 4 Years Later

On Feb. 1, 2003, disaster struck: The Space Shuttle Columbia was lost in thin air, killing seven on board and sparking years of debate. Four years after one of our saddest days in space exploration, we look back at PM's groundbreaking investigation of what went wrong.

Finding the Will to Fight Global Warming: Analysis from the Energy Family Blog

Plug-in electric hybrids take on more urgency in the face of the upcoming report on climate change—a moral issue that we should commit ourselves fully to, because to not would be a failure of the human spirit.

Waterlogged Mars, Wired Boeing, Gambling Branson, Banned iTunes, Stun Gunner, $155M House: News Briefs

Scientists are ready to look underground for more water on the Red Planet, while Richard Branson thinks the world is ready for more stem-cell research — not that Boeing is ready for onboard wireless. Plus, are we ready for the world's most expensive new home?

Plugged In: Electric Car and State of the Union Reality Check

PM's off-the-grid energy dad and resident green expert checks in from Washington, where does some number crunching on the Chevy Volt at the Washington Auto Show, and on President Bush's (unreachable?) new gas consumption goals.

Immortal Computing, Über-Battery, Duke DNA, Iraq Chopper Mess, Prehistoric Shark Death: News Briefs

In what may be the first big step toward avoiding the dawn of a “Digital Ice Age,” Microsoft wants you to be your own afterlife communications agent. Plus, a killer app for batteries, evidence questions in the Duke lacrosse trial, more helicopter issues and shark video.

How Far Can We Really Drive on a Bushel of Corn?

As President Bush announces in his State of the Union address a 10-year plan to cut U.S. gas consumption by placing more emphasis on renewable resources and tightening our fuel economy standards, we take a second look at a PM special report: crunching the numbers on alternative fuels.

Z Machine: A Particle Accelerator Hotter than the Sun

Talk about blood diamond: With arcs of current from an electromagnetic pulse crisscrossing metal structures, this extreme machine can melt crystallized stone — and unlock some more cosmic mysteries.

Football Physics: The Anatomy of a Hit

The average football sack can produce a bone-shattering 1600 lbs of force. Armed with new tools, researchers are now studying the science of a gridiron fundamental: The tackle.

Comair Pilot Called Deadly Airstrip 'Weird': Crash Update

The runway decision was difficult enough to comprehend when we first examined the crash. But now it becomes even harder to discern why two experienced pilots continued down an unlit airstrip that, according to the NTSB, was designated strictly for daytime use.

NASA Mission Statement Q&A;: Eyes on Earth

By 2010, a new report says, the number of Earth-observing missions will drop dramatically. We speak with a professor involved in the study to find out how Earth scientists view NASA’s shifting priorities—and how those may affect the study of the planet.

Another Toxic Train Wreck, Oil Blast Update, Cellphone Fires, More: News Briefs

The derailed train in Kentucky conjures memories of an earlier PM investigation, as does an independent report on the BP refinery disaster. Plus, traffic-ticket software, the Golden Globes and a new Hubble date.

Las Vegas Tries to Prevent a Water Shortage

The debate over a plan to pump water out of the Nevada desert could be the next battle in the war over the West's most vital natural resource.

The iPhone Cometh, Dark Matter 3D, Death on Mars, New Plans in Iraq and More: News Briefs

While Bill Gates and Toyota are making headlines today from the Consumer Electronics Show and the Detroit Auto Show, there’s plenty else abuzz from the Popular Mechanics world of tech and science out there.

North Korea's Biochemical Threat

While its nuclear test spurs outrage, North Korea has grown a vast biochemical weapons arsenal in secrecy. We investigate Kim Jong Il's deception, plus his rogue nation's human trials and its deadly harvest's terror potential.

Measuring Ice from Inside the Earth: Antarctic Drill Log

Geologist and PM blogger Trevor Williams files his final report from McMurdo Station, where he just spent five days peering down a 3000-ft. hole measuring sediment data that may explain climate change—then looked up at a 12,000-ft. volcano and its lava lake.

New Orleans Sliding, Indonesia Plane Search, UFO Sighting: Science Briefs

A new study has revealed that, post-Katrina, the Mississippi Delta's unstable coastland is sliding into the Gulf of Mexico. Meanwhile, confusion over a downed airliner in Indonesia and a would-be UFO sighting in Chicago.

Antarctic Drill: The Great Rig in the Sky

Geologist Trevor Williams checks in from the bottom of the Earth to break down the hard-core process of drilling through 250 ft. of ice—and sloshing through 2800 feet of water.

Energy Family Blog: Eating Oil

For every single calorie of food energy we consume, we’re burning 10 calories of fossil fuel energy. Doesn’t exactly reek of sustainability, does it?

Antarctic Drill: Open-Water Armageddon Looms at North Pole - What About the South?

Our Antarctic geologist at McMurdo analyzes this week's news about the melting of the Arctic Ocean's sea ice by 2040—and considers similar predictions for the bottom of the Earth. Plus: Penguins!

Stardust Mission Turns Solar System Inside-Out

Samples from NASA's Stardust mission—winner of a 2006 PM Breakthrough Award for bringing back the oldest material ever collected—indicate that, 4.6 billion years ago, material from the innermost part of our early solar system travelled all the way past Pluto.

Combating Satellite Terrorism, DIY Style

As the Bush administration warns about threats from terrorists and other nations against U.S. satellites, PM offers a window into an Air Force program that's protecting our military satellites (and their vulnerabilities) with store-bought gear and old-fashioned sleuthing.

Science Briefs: Good, Bad and Ugly for Airbus Mega-Jet, Solar Flare Disrupts Shuttle Crew, Mammals May Have Beaten Birds to Flight

New concerns about the Airbus A380's exemption from fuel-tank fire rules popped up the same day that the A380 received approval for lift-off. Meanwhile, brief concerns for the Shuttle and big ones for potential attacks on U.S. space assets, plus super flying squirrels.

Bio-Inkjet Printer Draws Muscle and Bone

There are many things we’ve come to expect from our computer printers: photos, letters, what have you. But muscle and bone? Scientists at Carnegie Mellon have developed a printer that outputs in “bio-ink”—a format they hope will pave the way for stem cells.

Antarctic Drill: The Science of Ice

PM's geologist in Antarctica asks: Why is the Ross Ice Shelf important? Like the ice in your soda, or Archimedes in his bathtub, the floating shelf has displaced its weight in seawater. If it collapsed, the ice streams of West Antarctica would speed up and cause sea level ...

Science Briefs: Discovery Launch Delayed, 8 New Radiation Victims in Spy Case

The Shuttle team could not find enough clearing in the low cloud cover before NASA's launch window expired and rescheduled launch for Saturday at 8:47 EST. Plus, the latest on why London bar workers who tested positive for radiation probably don't have to worry.

First Look: Boeing X-48B Prototype

PM's private pilot breaks down the details of Boeing's super-quiet, heavy-payload Blended Wing Body, slated to begin test flights next year.

PLUS: We Review Flight Simulator X for the PC

LIQUID WATER ON MARS

New photographic evidence from the Red Planet suggests that flowing liquid water ran through craters on Mars in recent years, NASA announced this afternoon. The questions now: Where does the water come from, and could it support life?

NASA's New Gamble: What Will the Moon Base Bring?

Our resident astronaut says NASA is betting on the Moon after the agency announced last night its plans to build a permanent lunar base—one that may be used to prepare a manned trip to Mars.

Second Time's the Charm: Intrepid Pulls Free

After three weeks of dredging up nearly 40,000 cubic yards of mud from under the ship, harbor workers yanked the aircraft carrier free and sent it downriver to New Jersey, where it will undergo $60 million in renovations.

Hydrogen: New Storage Solutions

In Popular Mechanics’ November cover story on the hydrogen economy, writer Jeff Wise walked readers through the various hurdles to making hydrogen power practical. At least one of those hurdles, it seems, has just been lowered a notch.

MUST READ: The Truth About Hydrogen

'Carbon Neutral' Nudges 'Elbow Bump' for Word of the Year

In an annual announcement as highly anticipated (in some circles) as Cosmo’s Bachelor of the Year and Esquire’s Sexiest Woman Alive, the New Oxford American Dictionary has proclaimed its Word of the Year. And we science types are swooning.

Podcast: Radioactive Reality Check

Does the radioactive poison that killed Russian ex-spy Alexander Litvenenko pose any danger to the non-spying public? Investigative reporter Simon Cooper weighs in, and details the history of the KGB's assassination squads. Plus: The latest from the LA Auto Show, where ...

Experts: Radiation Risk from Spy Death Minimal (Unless You're a Spy)

Since investigators discovered traces of radiation and expanded their search, the public health scare caused by the poisoning of an ex-Russian spy in London has exploded into a mini-hysteria—one that experts say is largely overblown.

EARLIER: North Korea's Chemical and Biological Weapons Arsenal

Science Briefs: Discovery “Go” for Night Launch, Hawking on Space Colonization, the World’s First “Computer,” Court Takes up Global Warming

Despite a complex mission and certain challenges in a night launch, the Space Shuttle is ready for take-off next Thursday, while Stephen Hawking is worried about asteroid collisions and the Supreme Court is thinking about the regulation of vehicle emissions.

Antarctic Drill: First Days on the Ice

Trevor Williams, our blogging geologist, files his first report from McMurdo Station in Antarctica, where he's getting used to the ANDRILL team's Extreme Cold Weather gear and taking initial measurements from 1600 feet below the sea floor.

Screen Test: Electronic Paper Takes to the Skies

The most promising e-paper device isn't a wannabe iPod for readers, but a general aviation tool called eFlyBook.

Sustainable Products Galore: Life from GreenBuild Expo

Sustainable building products are going mainstream at GreenBuild’s exhibit hall, packed with everything from low-flow toilets and soy-based insulation to forestry-certified wood flooring, pervious concrete and, our science editor's personal favorite, this huge fan.

By the Seat of Your Pants: Personal Chopper Duel

Neither one is quite George Jetson's jet pack, but these two new ultralight helicopters are about as bare-bones as a flying machine can get: an engine to spin two sets of rotor blades, and a chair hanging underneath.

NASA Outsources to the Space Station

To cut costs, the space agency plans to use the private sector for shipping equiptment to the International Space Station in one of two new cargo rockets, says Tom Jones, Popular Mechanics' resident astronaut.

PODCAST: Hotels in Space; Tom Jones on Private Space Walks

Carbon Futures

You know the energy picture has changed when some of the world’s biggest companies are making news by joining forces on nuclear energy—a sector that’s been, well, radioactive in the United States for a generation.

Update: Gravity-Defying Baseball Pitch Ready for U.S.

As teams battle in a high-stakes auction for the rights to Japanese pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka, PM gets more on the physics behind his "gyroball" from the man who invented the pitch and a 19-year-old in Indiana who decided to stop throwing it.

EARLIER: The "Gyroball," Baseball's New Pitch

How-To Central

Home How-To Central

Learn fundamental skills you're afraid to ask about (read: drywall), then choose from dozens of DIY projects illustrated by how-to masters, such as installing a sliding door.

Tech How-To Central

Follow our three easy steps for destroying your hard drive, then let gizmo guru Joel Johnson solve your problems, whether you're a total geek or just plain clueless.

Jay's Green Garage

Welcome to the Green Garage!

Like most of us, Jay Leno has been looking hard at his footprint on the planet. In a long-term project with PM, he's upgrading with environmentally friendly equipment. WITH VIDEO!

Deal Of The Week

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• Receive a $20 mail-in rebate when you purchase this product.
Price: $79.99

Reader Projects Wanted

Show Us Your Woodworking Project!

Are you a woodworker? We are looking for examples of reader woodworking projects, with a focus on creativity, ingenuity and inventive spirit. We're open to anything, so send us your best!

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Research

Breakthrough Awards: Complete Coverage

Popular Mechanics honored America's top innovators for 2006. Inside, meet the faces of technology's future with multimedia coverage of the awards.

Air & Space

Airbus Mega-Jet Mess: The Full Story

FedEx cancelling its leading order for Airbus A380 jets was only the latest setback for the most expensive, ambitious nonmilitary aircraft ever.

Extreme Machines

MythBusters Workshop: Fun with Supermagnets

The MythBusters are notorious for their obsession with magnets. And, as you might expect, Jamie and Adam use them in some pretty extreme ways—like climbing walls.

Air & Space

Killer Asteroid: It's Coming Our Way

Asteroid Apophis is on track for possible Earth impact. Sure, the odds are low. But some experts think they're high enough for us to start worrying. Plus, five plans to deflect disaster.

Earth & the Environment

Future Shocks

Think mother nature has dealt us her worst? Think again. Five natural disasters poised to hit the U.S. and like nothing we've ever seen.

PLUS: Debunking the Myths of Hurricane Katrina

Health & Medicine

Fighting HIV by Building a New Killer

In the fight to find a cure for AIDS, researchers have invented a viral double agent on a mission to seek out where HIV hides. Go inside the world of the tiny, tenacious hybrid in a PopularMechanics.com World Aids Day special.

Military & Law Enforcement

North Korea: The Bigger (Non-Nuclear) Threat

All eyes are on Pyongyang's atomic capabilities, but we might be blind to North Korea's highly developed chemical and biological warfare program.

PLUS: Detecting North Korea's Nuke Test

Air & Space

Pilot's Perspective: The Crash of a Yankee

Flying the same deadly route as Corey Lidle, private pilot Jeff Wise traverses the tragedy in a PopularMechanics.com exclusive.

Energy Family & Digital Family

Power Pioneers: The Energy Family Returns

At the end of a yearlong quest, our man off the grid taps into wind, ramps up his solar array — and surveys energy's future.

Air & Space

Just Don't Call it a Blimp

It's a hybrid airship—part plane, part dirigible. Two inventors think production versions up to 990 feet long will launch a brand new era of aviation.