Early in the sleek sci-fi thriller "Oblivion," Tom Cruise, as a flyboy repairman living a removed, Jetsons-like existence above an invaded and deserted Earth, intones his home sickness.

In countless films about emergencies, crimes and police work, the 911 dispatcher is but a bit player, an anonymous, robotic voice briefly heard on the other end of a breathless call made by our movie's main players.

Science beats through most daily activities: cooking, television, even exercise.

NASA’s Destination Station: Experiences in Orbit - Astronaut Cady Coleman, pictured, discusses her experience onboard the International Space Station and the research she conducted there. She will be available for autographs and pictures after the presentation. The planetarium will also be showing a special about the International Space Station throughout the evening. Registration is required at http://tinyurl.com/nasatalk2.

Astronauts from NASA will land across the Valley to participate in events for the public in the coming weeks. The astronauts, specifically chosen by NASA for these events, are in Arizona to promote and raise awareness on space programs and exploration — just as the state’s “SciTech Festival” fires its boosters.

Saying students are getting only one side of the debate, a state senators wants to free teachers to tell students why they believe there is no such thing human-caused "global warming.''

Leroy Chiao, former NASA astronaut, has been chosen as the 2013 John J. Rhodes Chair in Public Policy and American Institutions in Barrett, The Honors College at Arizona State University and will deliver the 2013 Rhodes Lecture titled “Warp Speed: How Technology is Accelerating and the Importance of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) Education.”

Children crowd around touch screens as their parents and teachers look over their shoulders. The group is huddled together in a tunneled, dark room reminiscent of a space ship control room — with walls lined with lit up diagrams and interactive video screens.

Sometimes we all need to step back and see the big picture. You can do that Jan. 10 and 12 at Phoenix Symphony’s performances of Gustav Holst’s “The Planets,” augmented by big screen images and videos from NASA, the Hubble Telescope and Mars Rover.

The past and the future are currently colliding at Mesa’s Arizona Museum of Natural History.

Stars, moons and planets have long been inspiration for designers. For aficionados and anyone who appreciates the artistry to be found in astronomy, there is a galaxy of beautiful items for the home.

A satellite designed, built and tested in Gilbert will be launched in February to circle the globe collecting data for NASA and the Department of Interior.

Christine Hartland’s gifted/self-contained classroom of fifth-graders has been working on a hypothesis about global warming on Mars since the school year began.

Editor's Note: These letters to the editor have been sorted by topic by the Tribune editorial staff in an effort to allow readers to read varied opinions on the issues, candidates, and other circumstances surrounding the 2012 general election. These submissions are the opinions of the author, not the Tribune, and have not been edited for grammar or content.

Students and faculty at Arizona State University are hoping to invent not only the technology of the future, but also the narrative that accompanies those advances.

Students and faculty at Arizona State University are hoping to invent not only the technology of the future, but also the narrative that accompanies those advances.

A mysterious formation in the Valley sky that shined bright Thursday morning had hundreds of viewers emailing and calling ABC15.