MARS - SKY NIGHTLY

Mar 25, 2022 (JPL)

The eagle-eyed geologists amongst you might think they look like ventifacts, my fellow blogger Mark had mentioned those already in his sol 3419-3420 blog. Venti...

Drilling into Mars with Lasers

Mar 23, 2022 (JPL)

However, over the past year we have seen prominent patches of purple peppered atop the rocks. The patches range from thin veneers to thick splotches and general...

Sol 3421: Close Encounter with a Gator

Mar 23, 2022 (JPL)

The plans starts with a ChemCam LIBS observation of "Scandal Beck" to assess the chemistry of the blocky outcrop. Then we'll acquire 2 long-distance RMI mosaics...

NASA's Perseverance rover hightails it to Martian Delta

Mar 19, 2022 (JPL)

NASA's Perseverance Mars rover is trying to cover more distance in a single month than any rover before it - and it's doing so using artificial intelligence. On...

NASA's Angie Jackman works to develop rocket that will bring Mars samples to Earth

Mar 18, 2022 (SPX)

The new hardware is an integral component of the Mars Sample Return campaign, a historic endeavor that will, for the first time, retrieve and deliver samples of...

A View Filled With Ventifacts - Sols 3417-3418

Mar 18, 2022 (JPL)

Today's plan is all about exploring the local area. We will collect APXS and MAHLI observations of a relatively large, less dusty ventifact near the rover's whe...

A Day in the Life of a T-DOC

Mar 17, 2022 (JPL)

The planning sol (Mars day) begins with a Kickoff Meeting, where we discuss what the previous sol's plan was and what major decisions we have to make today. We ...

Russian-European Mars mission suspended over Ukraine war

Mar 17, 2022 (AFP)

The ExoMars mission had been set to use a Russian launcher later this year to send a European rover to drill for signs of life on the Red Planet. However, the E...

NASA extends Ingenuity Helicopter Mission

Mar 17, 2022 (JPL)

The announcement comes on the heels of the rotorcraft's 21st successful flight, the first of at least three needed for the helicopter to cross the northwest por...

Sols 3414-3416: Progress!

Mar 17, 2022 (JPL)

We decided not to co-target ChemCam LIBS with the contact science target, to take advantage of targeting some of the exposed vertical faces on the bedrock slabs...

MAHLI tries again on Sols 3412-3414 for detailed closeup

Mar 15, 2022 (JPL)

Because the rover did not move, the high-gain antenna view of Earth is still occluded, preventing direct communication from Earth and daily uplink. So we will h...

Sol 3411: Bonanza

Mar 11, 2022 (JPL)

This included 7 dust devil movies with 4 different cameras: Mastcam, Navcam, and the front and rear Hazcams. This image shows the broad viewshed we have to the ...

Moving right along - slowly but surely during Sols 3409-3410

Mar 10, 2022 (JPL)

Despite all the challenges, this was a very exciting day for the MSL team. In honor of international Women's day (3/8/22) we fielded a team consisting almost en...

Challenges await sample-return expedition to Mars

Mar 08, 2022 (XNA)

A senior scientist with the China National Space Administration and academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, Wu said the mission, which is being plann...

Moon and Mars superoxides for oxygen farming

Mar 07, 2022 (ESA)

The US Viking landers that touched down on Mars in 1976 carried experiments looking for Martian life whose results are still debated more than four decades late...

Sols 3403-3404: Tiptoe to the Pediment

Mar 07, 2022 (JPL)

First, we took ChemCam and Mastcam of "Tobar Mhoire" and "Ardalanish," both points on a gray-toned rock with laminations. Farther afield, the rover will capture...

A River Runs Through It: Onward to the Delta

Mar 07, 2022 (JPL)

Familiar views and rocks greet us like old friends as we are reminded of all the incredible science and engineering we have accomplished thus far piecing togeth...

How scientists designed the aerodynamic configuration of Mars ascent vehicles?

Mar 03, 2022 (SPX)

Moreover, the shape design of Mars ascent vehicles (MAV) is the key link of the Mars take-off and ascent technology. Currently, countries all over the world mai...

Sols 3401-3402: Sand, Boulders and Ridges, Oh My

Mar 02, 2022 (JPL)

The science team is excited to drive up onto and investigate the very different looking rock that comprises the more resistant pediment again. As we have been d...

Russian-European Mars rover 'very unlikely' to launch this year

Mar 01, 2022 (AFP)

The launch of the Rosalind Franklin rover, whose mission is to drill into Martian soil to seek out signs of life, was originally planned for 2020 but postponed ...