MARS - SKY NIGHTLY

Heat and dust help launch Martian water into space, scientists find

Nov 18, 2020 (SPX)

Researchers said that the phenomenon they uncovered is one of several that has led Mars to lose the equivalent of a global ocean of water up to hundreds of feet...

Ancient zircon minerals from Mars reveal the elusive internal structure of the red planet

Nov 18, 2020 (SPX)

"We were quite surprised and excited when we found so many zircons in this martian meteorite. Zircon are incredible durable crystals that can be dated and prese...

Preparing for a human mission to Mars

Nov 16, 2020 (SPX)

The AMADEE-18 expedition was designed in preparation for future human missions to the Mars surface. The mission took place in the Dhofar Desert in the Sultanate...

Gravity Assist: Mars Takes a Breath, with Jen Eigenbrode

Nov 16, 2020 (JPL)

Scientists have also observed sudden rises and falls in methane, a gas also associated with life, but which can be geological in nature, too. But with such a th...

Mars Is Getting a New Robotic Meteorologist

Nov 16, 2020 (JPL)

The instrument behind the weather data is called MEDA - short for the Mars Environmental Dynamics Analyzer. Part of its goal is to gather the basics: temperatur...

Escape from Mars: how water fled the red planet

Nov 13, 2020 (SPX)

Shane Stone, a graduate student in the UArizona Lunar and Planetary Laboratory and lead author of a new paper published in Science, describes himself as a plane...

NASA's Curiosity takes selfie with 'Mary Anning' on the Red Planet

Nov 13, 2020 (JPL)

Made up of 59 pictures stitched together by imaging specialists, the selfie was taken on Oct. 25, 2020 - the 2,922nd Martian day, or sol, of Curiosity's mission...

NASA rover has less than 100 days until reaching the red planet

Nov 12, 2020 (SPX)

Horgan, now an associate professor of planetary science at Purdue, soon will have an opportunity to let her imagination dive into the geology of Mars as part of...

NASA's Perseverance Rover 100 Days Out

Nov 11, 2020 (JPL)

The Lander Vision System is scheduled to go under the microscope on Nov. 11; and the SuperCam instrument, the day after that. Down the road, on Dec. 18, the tea...

Independent Review Indicates NASA Prepared for Mars Sample Return Campaign

Nov 11, 2020 (SPX)

Following an examination of the agency's ambitious Mars Sample Return plan, the board's report concludes that NASA is prepared for the campaign, building on dec...

Review board says NASA, ESA ready to pursue Mars sample return mission

Nov 10, 2020 (UPI)

"Full steam ahead," Maria Zuber, Independent Review Board member and vice president for research at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, said during a tel...

Clay subsoil at Earth's driest place may signal life on Mars

Nov 06, 2020 (SPX)

Led by Cornell University and Spain's Centro de Astrobiologia, scientists now offer a planetary primer to identifying microbial markers on shallow rover digs in...

Water on ancient Mars

Nov 02, 2020 (SPX)

Several years ago, a pair of dark meteorites were discovered in the Sahara Desert. They were dubbed NWA 7034 and NWA 7533, where NWA stands for North West Afric...

NASA's Perseverance Rover Is Midway to Mars

Oct 28, 2020 (JPL)

"At 1:40 p.m. Pacific Time Tuesday Oct 27, our spacecraft will have just as many miles in its metaphorical rearview mirror as it will out its metaphorical winds...

Geologists simulate soil conditions to help grow plants on Mars

Oct 28, 2020 (SPX)

Practically speaking, astronauts cannot haul an endless supply of topsoil through space. So University of Georgia geologists are figuring out how best to use th...

Sensors on Mars 2020 Spacecraft Answer Long-Distance Call From Earth

Oct 23, 2020 (JPL)

MEDLI2 is a collection of sensors that will measure aerothermal environments and thermal protection system material performance during the atmospheric entry pha...

Perseverance rover bringing 3D-printed metal parts to Mars

Oct 20, 2020 (SPX)

Instead of forging, molding, or cutting materials, 3D printing relies on lasers to melt powder in successive layers to give shape to something. Doing so allows ...

Leonardo at work on robotic arms for the NASA and ESA Mars Sample Return mission

Oct 20, 2020 (SPX)

For the NASA "Mars Sample Return" campaign, in collaboration with the European Space Agency (ESA), Leonardo has been awarded a contract with Airbus for the adva...

NASA InSight's 'Mole' is out of sight

Oct 19, 2020 (JPL)

Sensors embedded in the tether are designed to measure heat flowing from the planet once the mole has dug at least 10 feet (3 meters) deep. The mission team has...

This transforming rover can explore the toughest terrain

Oct 14, 2020 (JPL)

The rover is actually made of a pair of two-wheeled rovers, each called Axel. To divide and conquer, the rover stops, lowers its chassis and anchors it to the g...