Tear-drop shaped islands on Mars suggest ancient oceans
Tear-drop shaped mesas on Mars suggest ancient oceans to scientists.
Tear-drop shaped mesas on Mars suggest ancient oceans to scientists.
Tag: Mars
Tear-drop shaped islands on Mars suggest ancient oceans
Flying over Mars
Magnetic bubbles at the edge of the solar system
Magnetic bubbles at the edge of the solar system.
Magnetic bubbles at the edge of the solar system.
Opportunity Heads Toward ‘Spirit Point’
Opportunity’s target on the rim of Endeavour crater has been dubbed “Spirit Point” by the science team in honor of the now defunct rover.
Opportunity’s target on the rim of Endeavour crater has been dubbed “Spirit Point” by the science team in honor of the now defunct rover.
Mars 500 mission passes one year
The Russian/ESA Mars 500 mission has completed a year of its 520-day simulated flight to Mars.
The crew, who spent 250 days working on maintenance and scientific experiments before a 30-day stint performing tasks on a simulated Martian surface, are currently on their “return trip” to Earth.
This simulated all-male flight is going better than the last:
In 1999, an experiment in the same Moscow warehouse fell to pieces after a Russian team captain forced a kiss on a Canadian woman, and two Russian crewmembers had a bloody fistfight.
The Russian/ESA Mars 500 mission has completed a year of its 520-day simulated flight to Mars.
The crew, who spent 250 days working on maintenance and scientific experiments before a 30-day stint performing tasks on a simulated Martian surface, are currently on their “return trip” to Earth.
This simulated all-male flight is going better than the last:
In 1999, an experiment in the same Moscow warehouse fell to pieces after a Russian team captain forced a kiss on a Canadian woman, and two Russian crewmembers had a bloody fistfight.
Opportunity Passes Small Crater and Big Milestone
Opportunity’s travels on Mars have now exceeded 30 kilometers.
Opportunity’s travels on Mars have now exceeded 30 kilometers.
Opportunity spots an outcrop
Opportunity’s journey across the deserts of Mars continues; with pictures.
Opportunity’s journey across the deserts of Mars continues; with pictures.
Mars Science Lab Seems OK After Mishap
A bullet dodged? The next Mars rover, the Mars Science Lab, appears to be okay after last week’s mishap.
NASA to abandon trapped rover Spirit
NASA has decided to abandon efforts to contact the rover Spirit, incommunicado for more than a year.
NASA has decided to abandon efforts to contact the rover Spirit, incommunicado for more than a year.
Mars Science Lab Hardware Damaged
Facing a launch window that ends December 18, the next rover mission to Mars was damaged last week upon arriving at the Kennedy Space Center.
Facing a launch window that ends December 18, the next rover mission to Mars was damaged last week upon arriving at the Kennedy Space Center.
New craters on Mars.
Mars Express sees deep fractures on Mars
Deep fractures on Mars, some more than 1500 feet deep.
Deep fractures on Mars, some more than 1500 feet deep.
A Dragon to Mars
“We’re going all the way to Mars, I think… best case 10 years, worst case 15 to 20 years.”
I believe him when he says he’ll launch his first manned mission in three years. However, I think he seriously underestimates the challenges of a mission to Mars, based on our present engineering abilities to build interplanetary spaceships.
I believe him when he says he’ll launch his first manned mission in three years. However, I think he seriously underestimates the challenges of a mission to Mars, based on our present engineering abilities to build interplanetary spaceships.
Scientists find previously unknown deposits of CO2 on Mars
Scientists find a gigantic and previously unknown deposit of CO2 at Mars’ south pole.
“We already knew there is a small perennial cap of carbon-dioxide ice on top of the water ice there, but this buried deposit has about 30 times more dry ice than previously estimated,” said Roger Phillips of Southwest Research Institute in Boulder, Colo. Phillips is deputy team leader for the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter’s Shallow Radar instrument and lead author of the report. . . . “When you include this buried deposit, Martian carbon dioxide right now is roughly half frozen and half in the atmosphere, but at other times it can be nearly all frozen or nearly all in the atmosphere,” Phillips said.
What this discovery means is that, depending on Mars’ orbital circumstances, its atmosphere can sometimes be dense enough for liquid water to flow on its surface.
Scientists find a gigantic and previously unknown deposit of CO2 at Mars’ south pole.
“We already knew there is a small perennial cap of carbon-dioxide ice on top of the water ice there, but this buried deposit has about 30 times more dry ice than previously estimated,” said Roger Phillips of Southwest Research Institute in Boulder, Colo. Phillips is deputy team leader for the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter’s Shallow Radar instrument and lead author of the report. . . . “When you include this buried deposit, Martian carbon dioxide right now is roughly half frozen and half in the atmosphere, but at other times it can be nearly all frozen or nearly all in the atmosphere,” Phillips said.
What this discovery means is that, depending on Mars’ orbital circumstances, its atmosphere can sometimes be dense enough for liquid water to flow on its surface.
Budget chaos at NASA causes ESA to halt work on its own Mars orbiter and rover
Sounds crazy, but it’s true: The budget chaos at NASA has caused the ESA to halt work on its own Mars orbiter and rover.
Sounds crazy, but it’s true: The budget chaos at NASA has caused the ESA to halt work on its own Mars orbiter and rover.
Picking the landing spot for the next Mars rover is down to four finalists
Picking the landing spot for the next Mars rover: down to four finalists.
Picking the landing spot for the next Mars rover: down to four finalists.
Martian Mud Volcanoes
Neighbouring volcanoes on Mars
NASA To Make Last Effort To Communicate With Mars Rover ‘Spirit’
NASA’s last effort to re-establish contact with the Mars rover “Spirit.”
NASA’s last effort to re-establish contact with the Mars rover “Spirit.”
Chavez says capitalism may have ended life on Mars
You can’t make this stuff up: The socialist leader of Venezuela, Hugo Chavez, said today that he thinks capitalism is to blame for the lack of life on Mars.
You can’t make this stuff up: The socialist leader of Venezuela, Hugo Chavez, said today that he thinks capitalism is to blame for the lack of life on Mars.
Is water flowing on Mars?
Space Duct Tape Could Confuse Mars Rover
The kapton tape used on the next Mars rover, Curiosity, releases enough methane of its own that it could mess up the rover’s other science.
The kapton tape used on the next Mars rover, Curiosity, releases enough methane of its own that it could mess up the rover’s other science.
The elongated craters of Mars
China’s first probe to Mars is set for a November launch
The new colonial movement: China’s first probe to Mars is now set for a November launch.
The new colonial movement: China’s first probe to Mars is now set for a November launch.
A potential landing site for next Mars rover
This week’s release of cool images from Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter included the color image below of a region on the floor of Holden Crater, one of the four possible landing sites for Curiosity, the Mars Science Laboratory planned for launch later this year. (If you want to see the entire image at higher resolution, you can download it here.)
Two things that immediately stand out about this image (other than this looks like an incredibly spectacular place to visit):
Astronauts simulate Mars landing
Astronauts on the Russian Mars500 simulated Mars mission simulated a Mars landing on Saturday. Key quote:
Three astronauts on the Mars500 simulated mission will make a simulated walk on the Mars “surface” Monday. After working 30 days on the simulated planet, the crew will then embark on a simulated 240-day return trip to Earth. Officials said the 520-day Mars500 mission is designed to test how humans cope with the physical and mental stresses of a long space flight.
Astronauts on the Russian Mars500 simulated Mars mission simulated a Mars landing on Saturday. Key quote:
Three astronauts on the Mars500 simulated mission will make a simulated walk on the Mars “surface” Monday. After working 30 days on the simulated planet, the crew will then embark on a simulated 240-day return trip to Earth. Officials said the 520-day Mars500 mission is designed to test how humans cope with the physical and mental stresses of a long space flight.
Sand dunes and dry ice on Mars
Time for some more sightseeing on Mars. A recent news release from Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter noted the discovery of seasonal avalanches on Mars. This new image of the northern martian sand dunes illustrate again how the surface of Mars changes seasonally. The white patches on the ridges of the sand dunes is frozen carbon dioxide, dry ice that condenses on the crowns of the dunes every winter. When spring comes, the dry ice evaporates, and as it does so it disturbs the underlying sand, which then tumbles down the sides of the dunes, producing the dark streaks.
The process is less dramatic, however, than the avalanches seen in the previous news release, as suggested by this image below, showing the same dunes in summer without the dry ice. The dark streaks in the second image are not significantly different from the first, indicating that the process that forms them is slow and subtle.
Evidence of significant changes to northern martian sand dunes
Scientists have discovered significant seasonal changes to the northern martian sand dunes, including a number of large avalanches.
Scientists have discovered significant seasonal changes to the northern martian sand dunes, including a number of large avalanches.
NASA’s Overbudget Mars Rover in Need of Another Cash Infusion
Here we go again: NASA’s already overbudget Mars Science Laboratory rover is in need of even more cash.
Here we go again: NASA’s already overbudget Mars Science Laboratory rover is in need of even more cash.