SPACEFormer astronaut Buzz Aldrin tweeted a photo of himself in a Mars-themed t-shirt at Stonehenge that spells out clearly what he believes NASA's next mission should be.
Using an unconventional research method, scientists are seeking to learn more about about Mars by flying a kite here on Earth. The method allows researchers to get a new look at geological features here at home that learn what they could reveal with the hopes of being able to identity similarities with what they see when examining the surface of Mars and potentially other planets and moons as well.
A short circuit in the arm of the Curiosity rover halted its work on February 27. Since that time the rover team has worked hard to discover the source of this short in the hopes of repairing it and getting Curiosity back to work. Now, mission controllers have traced the short circuit to the drill on its robotic arm.
For those of you that follow the movement of Opportunity, one of NASA's Mars rovers studying the surface of the Red planet, you may have noticed that it has stopped to smell the roses or, in this case, rocks. The rover has taken a break from its other investigative activities to closely examine some oddly shaped rocks that have never before been seen on the surface.
According to NASA researchers in charge of Curiosity, the rover is set to most likely resume the use of its arm movements next week although investigations into the cause of the sporadic short-circuit are still ongoing.
Scientists believe that the Red planet once had more water on its surface than is found today in Earth's Arctic Ocean. However, over time Mars has lost 87% of this water to space.
NASA has announced that the Mars Curiosity Rover now just has one arm, due to a short circuit that happened while the rover was attempting to retrieve a sample.
In February, Mars and Venus put on quite a show in the skies above. Determined not to be outdone, Jupiter, the fifth and largest planet in our solar system, will put on a show of its own along with its moons during the month of March.
Finding some interesting chemistry in the rocks of Mars, NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover decided to investigate on Telegraph Peak earlier this week, boring into the Martian surface in search of answers. Though the rock powder poses new questions to the chemical composition of the planet, the car-sized Curiosity rover is far from reaching its final destination.
Covered round-the-clock by rovers and orbiters, researchers know a lot about Mars and its vast desolate plains. Yet, some mysteries remain. Of course, researchers with major space agencies continue to look for evidence of life and of conditions hospitable to support possible manned missions, but even more so researchers are interested in the anomalies above the surface.
Thanks to some clever innovation, and one determined Italian astronaut currently stationed aboard the International Space Station, espresso and aroma of dark-roasted coffee beans has finally reached outer space. But what about the far off planet of Mars? Though the planet may be desolate, and according to current reports, completely absent of life, a new image released by the European Space Agency (ESA) looks like the red planet may have a place for caffè.
As the month of love kicks off, with Valentine’s Day only a few days away, gentlemen out there are looking for the perfect gift. Money not being an object, diamond and floral sales skyrocket in February, but even in spite of the size of their trust funds, no man is able to buy a perfect night sky. Fortunately for them, however, February will be a skywatcher’s dream even without any meteor showers on the near horizon.
While many may be familiar with Mars’ dusty red surface from the glow it gives, or even the dust-covered mountains traversed by Mars rovers in the past, a new study of a meteorite found in the Moroccan desert has researchers believing that a far different image of the planet lies just below the thin red dust.
NASA's Opportunity Mars Rover is celebrating a new milestone of eleven years on the Red Planet. But in spite of its fortitude, the rover which is only about the size of a riding lawn mower, was originally only designed to explore the Martian surface for about 90 days, along with her twin rover, Spirit.
The skies of Mars could be teaming with drones one day if NASA's new project manages to make it to the red planet. The proposed Mars Helicopter is currently being developed to help researchers cover more ground with their rovers, and one day it could even help them discover more unique and interesting aspects of Mars that they would have simply missed without it.
Scott and Mark Kelly, identical twin brothers and astronauts for NASA are participating in a new study that is the first of its kind. The study will look at the effects of long-term space missions on the human body, with the hopes of gaining insights on what will happen to humans on a mission to Mars.
NASA has found the doomed spacecraft Beagle 2 on the surface of Mars, and it appears to be intact. High-resolution images taken from orbit have identified its landing location, and with closer examination it seems the craft landed on Mars safely.
On December 19, 2003, a tiny craft was launched from the Mars Express, a craft orbiting Mars. This craft was part of a British-led effort for the European Space Agency's Mars Express mission. On Christmas day, the lander entered the Martian atmosphere traveling more than 20,000 kph, and then it was never heard from again. Now NASA believes they have spotted the craft on the surface more than a decade after going dark.
Rocket company SpaceX, under the leadership of Tesla founder Elon Musk, is looking hire up to 1,000 employees for its Seattle-based engineering office whose mission will be to build a commercial satellite business that will eventually pave the way for sending spacecrafts to Mars. And while many are happy about the boost in the local economy, some are left wondering whether a change in careers may bring them closer to a future on Mars?
The Curiosity Rover has uncovered what appears to be rock forms very similar to those that were responsible for the formation of life on Earth. Located in the Gale Crater, the Curiosity continues its search for signs that Mars once supported life.
In terms of discoveries and technological advancements, 2014 marked an important year for NASA. In fact the US space agency made huge strides towards its goal of sending astronauts to Mars. And these achievements were reached through a combination of front-line testing and scientific findings, while at the same time examining our own planet and the vast universe around it.