  IEEE Spectrum
  
FOR THE TECHNOLOGY INSIDER
TopicsAerospaceAIBiomedicalClimate TechComputingConsumer ElectronicsEnergyHistory of TechnologyRoboticsSemiconductorsTelecommunicationsTransportation
SectionsFeaturesNewsOpinionCareersDIYEngineering Resources
MoreNewslettersSpecial ReportsCollectionsExplainersTop Programming LanguagesRobots Guide ↗IEEE Job Site ↗
For IEEE MembersCurrent IssueMagazine ArchiveThe InstituteThe Institute Archive
For IEEE MembersCurrent IssueMagazine ArchiveThe InstituteThe Institute Archive
IEEE SpectrumAbout UsContact UsReprints & Permissions ↗Advertising ↗
Follow IEEE Spectrum
        
Support IEEE SpectrumIEEE Spectrum is the flagship publication of the IEEE — the world’s largest professional organization devoted to engineering and applied sciences. Our articles, videos, and infographics inform our readers about developments in technology, engineering, and science.
Subscribe

About IEEEContact & SupportAccessibilityNondiscrimination PolicyTermsIEEE Privacy PolicyCookie PreferencesAd Privacy Options
© Copyright 2026 IEEE — All rights reserved. A public charity, IEEE is the world's largest technical professional organization dedicated to advancing technology for the benefit of humanity.

June 2009 Issue

Why Mars? Why Now?

Forty years ago, Apollo astronauts took humanity’s first baby step into the cosmos. It’s time to take the next one

4 min read

Features

In-depth articles from top experts, Spectrum editors, and contributors

The Rise of Robot Warriors

Author Peter W. Singer discusses how the United States is remaking warfare using robots

7 min read

Do We Need to Go to the Moon to Get to Mars?

There’s a palpable longing to return to the moon. But does it make sense?

12 min read

Mars Is Hard

Fifty years ago, space experts thought we’d be there by now. Here’s why we’re not

17 min read

Waiting for the Great Martian Movie

We watch all the movies about Mars so you don’t have to

9 min read

What to Wear on Mars

Those bulky Apollo-era space suits are so yesterday

3 min read

The Ins and Outs of Carbon Offsets

Is there any credible way to pay somebody else to make up for the greenhouse-gas emissions you're personally responsible for?

10 min read

Mining the Moon

How the extraction of lunar hydrogen or ice could fuel humanity's expansion into space

5 min read

How to Go to Mars—Right Now!

Human exploration of Mars doesn’t need to wait for advanced rockets, giant spaceships, or lunar base stations

4 min read

My 10 Favorite Mars Novels

Renowned sci-fi writer Kim Stanley Robinson reviews a century of Mars fiction

6 min read

One Team’s Plan to Win the Google Lunar X Prize

For the Carnegie Mellon team vying for the Google Lunar X Prize, failure to launch—and land—is not an option

6 min read

Rockets For The Red Planet

Engineers rethink how to get to Mars and back

11 min read

Mars For The Rest Of Us

Better cameras, greater bandwidth, and bigger displays put Mars within reach of armchair explorers

13 min read

News

Insight and analysis on the latest advances in technology

Digital Data Written in Stone

The "Digital Rosetta Stone" would store data and give wireless access to it for 1000 years

3 min read

Opinion

Spectrum editors and columnists comment on major tech trends

Departments

Articles on DIY projects, engineering careers, and tech history

Space Is Big Business

Of the $257 billion spent on space last year, two-thirds came from the private sector

1 min read

IEEE President’s Column: Volunteers Are the Greatest

Without them, IEEE could not be the leading professional association for the advancement of technology

3 min read

Explore more issues

View the full archive →

Download this issue

Download PDF ↓

Topics

Sections

More

For IEEE Members

For IEEE Members

IEEE Spectrum

Follow IEEE Spectrum

Support IEEE Spectrum

Enjoy more free content and benefits by creating an account

Saving articles to read later requires an IEEE Spectrum account

The Institute content is only available for members

Downloading full PDF issues is exclusive for IEEE Members

Downloading this e-book is exclusive for IEEE Members

Access to Spectrum 's Digital Edition is exclusive for IEEE Members

Following topics is a feature exclusive for IEEE Members

Adding your response to an article requires an IEEE Spectrum account

Create an account to access more content and features on IEEE Spectrum , including the ability to save articles to read later, download Spectrum Collections, and participate in conversations with readers and editors. For more exclusive content and features, consider Joining IEEE .

Join the world’s largest professional organization devoted to engineering and applied sciences and get access to all of Spectrum’s articles, archives, PDF downloads, and other benefits. Learn more about IEEE →

Join the world’s largest professional organization devoted to engineering and applied sciences and get access to this e-book plus all of IEEE Spectrum’s articles, archives, PDF downloads, and other benefits. Learn more about IEEE →

Access Thousands of Articles — Completely Free

Create an account and get exclusive content and features: Save articles, download collections, and post comments — all free! For full access and benefits, subscribe to Spectrum.

June 2009 Issue

Forty years ago, Apollo astronauts took humanity’s first baby step into the cosmos. It’s time to take the next one

Author Peter W. Singer discusses how the United States is remaking warfare using robots

There’s a palpable longing to return to the moon. But does it make sense?

How to make profits that are out of this world

Fifty years ago, space experts thought we’d be there by now. Here’s why we’re not

We watch all the movies about Mars so you don’t have to

How do you justify human spaceflight?

Those bulky Apollo-era space suits are so yesterday

Is there any credible way to pay somebody else to make up for the greenhouse-gas emissions you're personally responsible for?

How the extraction of lunar hydrogen or ice could fuel humanity's expansion into space

Human exploration of Mars doesn’t need to wait for advanced rockets, giant spaceships, or lunar base stations

Renowned sci-fi writer Kim Stanley Robinson reviews a century of Mars fiction

For the Carnegie Mellon team vying for the Google Lunar X Prize, failure to launch—and land—is not an option

Engineers rethink how to get to Mars and back

Better cameras, greater bandwidth, and bigger displays put Mars within reach of armchair explorers

But MIT inventors are holding fast-very fast indeed

Sun's Rock processor is probably dead, but the technology behind it, transactional memory, lives on at competitors

It's too costly to build turbines in deep water, where the winds are better. Two companies think floating windmills are the answer

The "Digital Rosetta Stone" would store data and give wireless access to it for 1000 years

A laboratory black hole, made using sound waves and exotic matter, might prove Stephen Hawking right

Future chips will show signs of age much faster than previous generations. Now there's a circuit that keeps tabs on their wear and tear

The tech world's lexicon is full of funny suffixes

Xcel Energy's small-town test of smart-distribution and home-monitoring technology may set the stage for much bigger things.

Of the $257 billion spent on space last year, two-thirds came from the private sector

The Kindle 2 is quickly outdated by the Kindle DX, reprising the rapid obsolescence of the Kindle 1

Behind every man in tights stands an engineer

At 6'8", James Oberg was too tall to be an astronaut, so he became an aerospace engineer and then a space reporter instead

Computer-controlled shop tools need not cost a fortune

Without them, IEEE could not be the leading professional association for the advancement of technology

Explore more issues

Download this issue