One of the first things children learn about science in school is the so-called "scientific method." As taught at the primary and secondary levels, the method is extremely prescriptive and rigid, and doesn't reflect the real process of science which is, as philosopher Paul Feyerabend put it, "anything goes." A good scientist has a mind prepared to switch gears and follow nature's clues when experimental probes and observations of nature are made.
The following essay delves into the different levels of the process of science by examining a number of achievements of science, starting with the history of planetary science from the time of the Greeks to the present day. You can download your own pdf copy or read it right here.