The lone survivor of the first mission to Mars uses his last moments to pass the torch of inspiration.

Most of us fortunate enough to see 2001: A Space Odyssey in a theater when it was released never dreamed it would spawn a strange ‘twin.’ By Paul Gilster.

At the end of October we wrote that Robby the Robot — one of our all-time favorite non-human characters — was up for auction. But even though he’s priceless to fans of the 1956 film Forbidden Planet, in which he makes his on-screen debut, it was impossible for Bonhams auction house to place an Earth dollar value on the Altair IV relic. It turns out that he’s worth $5,375,000.

Humans have a hard time contemplating large numbers and objects. And when it comes to really big things like the size of our Sun, our galaxy and the Universe, we simply lose a sense of scale. Sure, we can put a number to these beastly objects, but we can’t really contemplate the actual magnitude of their existence. For example, we know that the Earth’s diameter is ~12500 km. But that doesn’t mean that we can contemplate such a giant ball of matter with all its topology and life forms in one go. That feeling is strictly reserved for the physical and mental senses of an astronaut.

The BBC America sci-fi series has never had a huge audience, but it's definitely worth watching.

Humanity makes a deal with a new client.

Robby the Robot was the breakout star of the 1956 film Forbidden Planet, with his winning good looks (which include “sax valves" and “gyroscopes”) and his sarcastic dialog (Altaira: “Robby, I must have a new dress, right away.” Robby: “Again?”). And now Robby — who cost $100,000 back in 1956 — is up for auction.

Star Trek Continues

Fahrenheit 451 is the 1953 Ray Bradbury novel (soon to be a film) about a “fireman” who burns books rather than saves them, as a means to keep society illiterate and complacent. The novel has been a lightning rod for issues of censorship and book banning, and it begins with the sentence, “It was a pleasure to burn.”

The one-time 'MythBusters' host has some ideas about just how transcendental science fiction can be.

Yes, there are pixel art Eggos. By Andrew Webster .

All 140 episodes of the Matt Groening animated comedy will air on the NBCUniversal cable channel beginning Saturday, Nov. 11.

To question the idea of progress requires an extremism of vision or a terrifying kind of independence. By Siddhartha Deb.

In a galaxy torn apart by war, where lives fade into darkness like nebulae of dead stars, stands a lonely girl whose destiny will intertwine with the fate of the Universe. Her name is Jocelyn Dark, one of a few surviving humans, and she’s dying. The Xaksu warlords want to enslave her, the Asrai sovereignty wants to wield her as a weapon of magic, and the gods wishes to use her for their own purposes–all while her rotten blood slowly kills her. All Jocelyn wants is to experience the one thing that’s alluded her all her life: the feeling of meaning something to someone.

Pournelle, Gingrich and Trump see a future that must be secured by authoritarian institutions that group together humanity’s best and prevent the rest from stifling them. By David Auerbach.

In Tal Klein’s new novel, The Punch Escrow, humans have successfully tackled disease and climate change, but powerful corporations control everything.

If you know your USS Enterprises and think you're a master of all things Dr. Who, then jump into our quiz about sci-fi series and fictional spaceships and show us your chops.

David Bowie

The haunting trilogy by N.K. Jemisin won Hugo Awards two years running and changed sci-fi.

Frank Herbert’s “Dune,” an enduring science fiction classic, owes much of its mythology to “The Sabres of Paradise,” an undeservedly forgotten history. By Will Collins.