A Martian Roundtrip: NASA’s Mars Perseverance Rover Sample Tubes
Marvels of engineering, the rover’s sample tubes must be tough enough to safely bring Red Planet samples on the long journey back to Earth in…
Mars
Creating Chaos: Craters, Cracks, and Collapse on Mars
Elevation can be deceiving in satellite imagery of Mars, even when differences are extreme – as demonstrated by this image of Pyrrhae Regio from ESA’s…
The Extraordinary Robotic Sample-Gathering System of NASA’s Perseverance Mars Rover
Two astronauts collected Moon rocks on Apollo 11. It will take three robotic systems working together to gather up the first Mars rock samples for…
Watch NASA’s Exciting Mission Trailer: Perseverance Arrives at Mars
After nearly 300 million miles (470 million km), NASA’s Perseverance rover completes its journey to Mars on February 18, 2021. But, to reach the surface…
NASA Moves to the Next Phase in a Campaign to Return Mars Samples to Earth
During this next phase, the program will mature critical technologies and make critical design decisions as well as assess industry partnerships. NASA and ESA (European…
New Research Shows Water on Mars Not As Widespread as Previously Thought
Researchers considered more variables and took global weather patterns into account to create maps of where water might be found. Water on Mars, in the…
NASA’s Mars InSight: 3 Major Martian Mysteries Resolved
Scientists are finding new mysteries since the geophysics mission landed two years ago. NASA’s InSight spacecraft touched down November 26, 2018, on Mars to study…
Dreaming of a Red Christmas: Festive Silhouettes Spotted Near Mars’ South Pole
As the holiday season swiftly approaches, even our planetary neighbors are getting into the spirit – as shown by this perfect pair of festive silhouettes…
NASA’s Perseverance Rover Has 5 Hidden Gems Riding Aboard to Mars
The symbols, mottos, and small objects added to the agency’s newest Mars rover serve a variety of purposes, from functional to decorative. More than halfway…
Best Region for Life on Mars Was Miles Below Surface
New study sheds light on subsurface melting of thick ice billions of years ago. The most habitable region for life on Mars would have been…
Changing the Game for Space Exploration: New Tech Can Get Oxygen, Fuel From Mars’s Salty Water
An electrolysis system that doesn’t need pure water may change the game when it comes to exploration. When it comes to water and Mars, there’s…
ExoMy: 3D Print, Assemble, and Program Your Own Mars Rover
Europe’s Rosalind Franklin ExoMars rover has a younger ’sibling’ – ExoMy. The blueprints and software for this mini-version of the full-size Mars explorer are available…
MOXIE – A Device Aboard NASA’s Perseverance Rover – Could Help Future Rockets Launch off Mars
NASA’s Perseverance rover carries a device to convert Martian air into oxygen that, if produced on a larger scale, could be used not just for…
Elusive Internal Structure of Mars Revealed by Ancient Zircon Minerals From the Red Planet
Analysis of an ancient meteorite from Mars suggests that the mineral zircon may be abundant on the surface of the red planet. By determining the…
Ancient Martian Megaflood: Floods of Unimaginable Magnitude Once Washed Through Gale Crater on Mars’ Equator
Field Geology at Mars’ Equator Points to Ancient Megaflood Floods of unimaginable magnitude once washed through Gale Crater on Mars’ equator around 4 billion years…
Heat and Dust Help Launch Martian Water High Into the Atmosphere Where It’s Lost to Space
Scientists using an instrument aboard NASA’s Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN, or MAVEN, spacecraft have discovered that water vapor near the surface of the Red…
Mars Is Getting a New Robotic Meteorologist to Help Prepare for Future Human Exploration
Sensors on NASA’s Perseverance will help prepare for future human exploration by taking weather measurements and studying dust particles. Mars is about to get a…
NASA’s Curiosity Mars Rover Takes Selfie With “Mary Anning” on the Red Planet
The Mars rover has drilled three samples of rock in this clay-enriched region since first arriving in July. NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover has a new…