The viewcam's gone on to reach the stars, folks. And the best part is it's taking you along for the ride. ESA's Mars Express Visual Monitoring Camera is now up for public viewing and now you can quite literally see the red planet within your reach.

As special as our solar system is for its ability to support life here on Earth, scientists don't think it's unique. A computer simulation which was run hundreds of times revealed that it's rather unlikely for other similar star systems to exist. All we have to do is find them with a better understanding of how planets come to be. More in the full article.

Scientists have found the soil in Mars to be similar to our own planet's. Examining it more closely, scientists discovered that it's rich in the compound perchlorate which could inhibit life. Some scientists now doubt if life could exist in the red planet, but NASA remains optimistic despite the odds. More in the full article.

Mars is all wet. Well, was wet at least. New evidence conclusively show that Mars once had vast regions brimming with water. Scientists even believe that the Martian environment was suitable for life. Story in the full article.

There used to be water on Mars, we know as much. Just last week, NASA's Phoenix Spacecraft discovered of ice underground. This week, a group of UC Berkeley researchers posited that Mars' atmosphere can be likened to deserts we have here on Earth, and that it even rained in the red planet. How was this possible? Learn more after the jump.

Now, personally, my knowledge of Japan looking for aliens is basically limited to that line of toys which eventually gave birth to Optimus Prime and the rest of his Transformers crew. All that might change though, if Japan's little project bears any fruit. Don't look now, but a team of astronomers in Japan are actually planning to scan around the cosmos for aliens. [cue "You Got the Touch" theme song]

Before, scientists have held the belief that we'll need to send a lander to dig on the surface of other celestial bodies to figure out what their subsurfaces are composed of. Recently though, they figured out a way for explorers to retrieve this information without even having to land. Details after the "read more" link below.

If you've ever wondered how the guys over at NASA could take all those awesome pictures of Saturn and its rings, you should know that it's all thanks to the little space probe that could, Cassini-Huygens. And in this update, we catch wind about this spacecraft getting an extra two years up in space to further explore Saturn. All the details in the full article.

Humans are making large developments toward the realization of their outer space dreams. There is one thing that stands in the way, however: cosmic rays. Created from many elements including hydrogen and uranium, there's a possibility that cosmic rays may pose a great health risk to astronauts. More in the full article.

Today's Astronomy picture from NASA is a beautiful view of the Earth's horizon during a sunset over the Pacific Ocean. If you've brushed up on your Astronomy (and possibly history, too), you probably know what today is. If you haven't the slightest idea, find out at the full article.