SEARCH FOR LIFE

Is there life on Mars? Scientists in North America are combing the most barren places on Earth to search out bacteria, amino acids or carbonates that might offer clues. What if Mars has its own independently created life forms which are deadly to humans?

Researchers on the Arctic's frigid Devon Island, British Columbia's Pavilion Lake, Chile's Atacama Desert and caves in New Mexico offer compelling chronicles.

SIX MINUTES OF TERROR

The last six minutes of the flight to Mars are the most terrifying. Only an inflatable aeroshell will protect the capsule as it enters Mars atmosphere at a temperature of 4,000 degrees C and a speed of 16,000 km/hr. After the capsule's speed has been slowed, the astronauts have 90 seconds to pinpoint a safe place to land.

THE HUMAN FACTOR

The human spirit may be the Achilles' heel of the Mars Mission. Mental breakdown, sexual tension, near-suicide and mutiny have already taken place on shorter space missions. The crew knows there is a 50 percent failure rate in Mars landings.

ROCKET POWER

The spacecraft that will take a crew to Mars will be assembled in space. Up to 10 rockets will be required to carry equipment and the astronauts to the mothership. The 56-million-kilometer journey to and from the Red Planet could take up to three years. Will the fuel be thermo-nuclear or super-heated charged particles? Engineers must get it right the first time—or the astronauts will die.

JOURNEY TO THE RED PLANET

Dr. James Garvin, lead scientist for Mars and Lunar Exploration at NASA, and Dr. Paul Delaney, Professor Physics and Astronomy at Toronto's York University, outline the extraordinary challenges and obstacles faced by the international space community in sending a manned mission to Mars ... and bringing it back.

HOW LONG IS A PIECE OF STRING?

Alan Davies attempts to answer the proverbial question: how long is a piece of string? But what appears to be a simple task soon turns into a mind-bending voyage of discovery where nothing is as it seems.

An encounter with leading mathematician Marcus du Sautoy reveals that Alan's short length of string may in fact be infinitely long.

WHO'S AFRAID OF A BIG BLACK HOLE?

Black holes are one of the most destructive forces in the universe, capable of tearing a planet apart and swallowing an entire star. Yet scientists now believe they could hold the key to answering the ultimate question - what was there before the Big Bang?

The trouble is that researching them is next to impossible. Black holes are by definition invisible and there's no scientific theory able to explain them.

LIGHT SPEED

According to the laws of physics we can never travel faster than the speed of light...or can we? Light speed allows us to see things instantly here on Earth, and shows us the entire history of the universe going back nearly 14 billion years. Learn all about light speed, the ultimate constant in the universe and discover ways scientists envision breaking the "light barrier" which may be the only way the star travel of our imaginations ever comes to reality.

EDGE OF SPACE

Low Earth Orbit, 120 miles above sea level, is where the majority of space exploration has occurred. This 1,100 mile band around Earth is where--for a cool $20 million--any private citizen can take the vacation of his or her life on the International Space Station.

GRAVITY

Gravity is the most powerful and exacting force in the universe. It is pervasive and penetrating. Gravity binds us together, its reach hangs stars in the sky and its grip crushes light. Gravity holds planets together, and leashes them to their suns. Without gravity, stars, comets, moons, nebulae, and even the Earth itself would not exist. Explore how science and humanity discovered, overcame and utilized gravity.

UNEXPLAINED MYSTERIES

Delve into the myths, misconceptions, truths and amazing mysteries of our unique universe. Could life exist on Mars? Is time travel possible and does Einstein's theory of relativity support it? Is there a companion dark star to our sun and could it pose a threat to earth? Learn about the spark that lit the big bang. Take a journey from science fiction that predicted all these things, to the scientific reality of what they mean to us in the ever-changing universe.

MYSTERIES OF THE MOON

For thousands of years, mankind has found comfort in its presence. It's been a lantern for nighttime travelers, a timekeeper for farmers, and a location finder for sailors at sea. For some cultures, it's even been a god. It's the only cosmic body ever visited by human beings. From afar, the Moon's luminance has captivated us since the beginning of time. And a closer look at the beacon in the dark sky reveals an ever-present source of myth, intrigue, controversy and unsolved mysteries.

ALIEN PLANETS

Have planet hunters finally found proof of other Earthlike worlds? Astronomers have now discovered over two hundred alien worlds, beyond our solar system, that were unknown just a decade ago. Discover planets that rage with fiery hurricanes and bizarre planets covered by water so dense that it forms a kind of hot ice. Among these weird worlds, Earth actually seems like the oddball with the right conditions for life.

ALIEN MOONS

Travel from the inner solar system to the Kuiper Belt and explore the moons surrounding the planets of the solar system. Many of these moons that were once unknown are now on the cutting edge of astronomical study. Some burst with volcanic fury another spews icy geysers and others offer the possibility of alien life. Are these strange worlds simply hostile environments unfit for humans or do other possibilities exist?

BEYOND THE BIG BANG

The universe began with a massive expansion, billions and billions of years ago, and it continues to expand with every passing second. The idea that the universe, and man's very existence, began with a "Big Bang" is no longer a topic of debate among most scientists--it is essentially taken as fact.

THE MOON

The moon has comforted man for thousands of years. It's been everything from a god to a compass, and the only cosmic body human beings have ever visited. NASA is planning to build a permanent outpost there. Discover how the moon came to be--if you don't already know, you will be astounded.

SECRETS OF THE SUN

It is a fireball in the sky, a bubbling, boiling, kinetic sphere of white hot plasma, exploding and erupting. Its size is almost unimaginable--one million Earths would fit within its boundaries. In this violence is born almost all the energy that makes existence on Earth possible, yet, its full mysteries are only now beginning to be understood.