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Home / News / Tags / Mars
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For the first time in more than six months, the rover Spirit took a tiny step towards freeing itself from the grasp of the loose patch of soil known as Troy. The powder-like sand was covered by a thin crust, which gave way as the robot was climbing a 12-degree slope, which led to a formation known as Home Plate. Engi... |
21 November 2009
03:40 GMT |
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Becoming a Martian while never leaving this planet might not have the same appeal or deliver the adrenaline levels that setting an actual foot on the soil of Mars would, but then again, exploring is not what it used to be. And don’t think for a minute that the comfort of an Earth home and exploring the alien, d... |
18 November 2009
09:43 GMT |
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The Phoenix lander mission to the Red Planet arrived in the northern regions of Mars in 2008, and immediately started conducting its studies, which were aimed at discovering water-ice beneath the surface. It didn't take long for it to discover the stuff, as, during landing, its “feet” dug into ice on... |
18 November 2009
03:56 GMT |
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Stuck on the surface of the Red Planet for more than six month, the rover Spirit was finally going to begin its complex and long-lasting extrication procedure, scientists at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory announced. They said that the first commands to the resilient robot had been sent late last night or would be... |
17 November 2009
02:28 GMT |
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Using its High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera, the NASA Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) has recently snapped some amazing photos of unique features on the surface of the Red Planet, fluidized-ejecta craters (also known as rampart craters). The geological formations, which result from comet, a... |
14 November 2009
07:07 GMT |
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After recently making the rover “stretch” for the first time in six months, experts and engineers at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), in Pasadena, California, are currently making the last preparations for beginning their attempts at extricating Spirit from its predicament. The robot has been tra... |
13 November 2009
02:14 GMT |
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The Pavilion Lake, in British Columbia, Canada, is arguably one of the most peculiar ones in the world. It features bacterium-built, coral-shape structures that are not similar to any others in the world, and that have not been subjected to attacks by snails, worms and other grazing animals. Because of these peculiar... |
12 November 2009
10:36 GMT |
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A new “letter of intent” was recently signed in Washington DC, for the first time ever binding the Mars programs of the American space agency, NASA, and the European Space Agency (ESA) together. With this step completed, engineers can move to creating joint missions that could bring about a new understand... |
9 November 2009
03:42 GMT |
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The European Space Agency's Mars Express orbiter has recently snapped a new series of photos of the planet's surface, revealing scarred terrain stretching for large distances, as well as several impact craters, most likely caused by asteroids that struck the planet in the past. An area roughly the size of M... |
7 November 2009
03:52 GMT |
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Weather, in the strictest sense of the term, does not exist on Mars. The planet is surrounded by nothing more than an extremely thin atmosphere, which is about one percent as thick as our own. In spite of that, freezing temperatures, clouds, and dust storms like nothing seen on Earth exist there, and all these events... |
5 November 2009
17:41 GMT |
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The Phoenix Mars Lander was a NASA mission that launched to the Red Planet on August 4, 2007, aboard the Delta II 7925 vehicle. It consisted of a robotic station that was to conduct scientific experiments on Mars, and study surface chemistry, weather patterns, atmospheric conditions, and the landscape too. Originally... |
5 November 2009
16:41 GMT |
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As experts begin to probe the issues raised by a potential trip to Mars in more depth, they start realizing that the actual flight itself and the problems related to constructing a proper vehicle to get there and back are only minor, in comparison to other issues. One of the problems is how nearly two years of co... |
30 October 2009
08:23 GMT |
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According to astronomers investigating the pictures sent back by the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera aboard the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO), it would appear that areas near the Hale crater, on the surface of the Red Planet, are laden with channels. In a view that covers an area about ... |
29 October 2009
04:46 GMT |
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Determining if even basic life exists on any other planet or moon in the solar system, and especially on Mars, is the main goal of space exploration today. But investigating this essential question is not easy, when considering that the answers lie millions of kilometers away from our planet. Rovers, landers and orbi... |
27 October 2009
17:11 GMT |
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Astronomers studying pictures sent back by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO), currently circling the Red Planet, say that an intriguing clump of depressions in the Martian soils could be the entries to an underground cave system. The underground refuges could be supporting microscopic life forms that were driven ... |
26 October 2009
11:55 GMT |
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A manned mission to Mars poses more difficulties than simply finding the correct type of engine and hull structure for the spacecraft that will take astronauts there. It is also a journey into the depths of human limits, and at this point mission planners and psychologists are more worried about the human element of ... |
24 October 2009
16:11 GMT |
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Since May 6, the Mars rover Spirit has been trapped in Troy, a patch of loosely bound soil on the surface of the Red Planet. Engineers at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), in Pasadena, California, who manage the robot, say that, over the past few months, a number of drive tests has been conducted with two test rov... |
20 October 2009
02:57 GMT |
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Keeping in touch with landers, rovers and orbiters on the Red Planet is not as easy as it may seem. From time to time, the connection goes down for weeks, as the Sun moves in between the two planets, making any sort of radio communications impossible. When this is not the case, the star can still scramble or alter th... |
17 October 2009
06:11 GMT |
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Despite its ongoing “health problems,” the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) is still apt to take beautiful, high-resolution pictures of the Red Planet. Some 233 recent telescopic observations of the surface yielded thousands of detailed images of various features on the planet, ranging from sand dunes to... |
9 October 2009
05:09 GMT |
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In a study that could change the way planetary scientists look at rocks forever, French researchers recently reported, in the September issue of the journal Geobiology, that they discovered how microorganisms become fossils in laboratory conditions. This may provide geologists with leads into understanding how microb... |
3 October 2009
04:02 GMT |
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When our planet's hum was identified for the first time, many experts were puzzled by it. Some people even went as far as to panic and call it a sign of God. Over the years, as with all the superstitions, these ideas faded away, as science progressed. Now, we have come so far in studying this ultra-low frequency... |
2 October 2009
06:39 GMT |
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New images provided by the NASA Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) show peculiar, spider-shaped formations on the ground, near the planet's south pole, experts have recently announced. The data was collected using the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera aboard the space probe, which is capa... |
1 October 2009
10:53 GMT |
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The European Space Agency (ESA) is currently working to develop and integrate all the systems required for its future mission to the Red Planet, the ExoMars rover. The robot, which is impressive in size, will navigate the red sands and analyze objects of interest on the surface, but its primary goal will be to look f... |
28 September 2009
06:48 GMT |
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More smash and bang is about to become available for Red Faction: Guerrilla fans as, after already releasing two DLC packs, game developer Volition revealed that a third one was in the making. The DLC will be called The Smasher Pack and will continue to march on the same road the previous one did. With a focus on mul... |
28 September 2009
05:24 GMT |
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The Russian space agency RosCosmos has recently announced that it will delay its planned Phobos-Grunt mission to Mars' moon Phobos to 2011, a two-year delay from the original launch date, which was set for this year. Officials from the agency say that, since they cannot send the probe now, they will be forced to... |
26 September 2009
04:50 GMT |
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According to a recent series of investigations that analyzed the surface of the Red Planet halfway between the North Pole and its equator, water ice may exist directly under the first layers of soil. Also, experts have found, it may be that these reserves are as much as 99 percent pure, and free of any contaminants. ... |
25 September 2009
01:39 GMT |
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NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) is the most active probe sent to the Red Planet to date. Up until now, it has sent back the most pieces of information on the planet of all missions, and continues to do so at a steady rate, in spite of occasional glitches and reboots. Recently, with the help of one of it... |
24 September 2009
04:35 GMT |
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Experts at the Technical University of Prague Center for Machine Perception, under the direction of scientist Dr. Michal Havlena, have recently announced the development of a new computer system, capable of reproducing the Red Planet in 3D detail within minutes. The platform can also be fed images collected by explor... |
18 September 2009
17:31 GMT |
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Many experts currently consider that Mars' reddish hue is owed to rusted rocks, which were subjected to the action of the water that once covered the planet. This idea has been proposed and debated for a long time, but recent laboratory studies are beginning to infirm it, some experts say. The investigations hav... |
18 September 2009
08:47 GMT |
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According to a new study, the large numbers of cracks that are etched across crater basins on the surface of Mars were created by evaporating lakes. Their properties are consistent with those of similar formations back on Earth, experts from the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research say. An analytical model ... |
16 September 2009
03:46 GMT |
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As the months go by, it becomes painfully obvious to all those involved with getting Spirit out of its predicament that it isn't going to be an easy task. Though they knew from day one that it was going to be very difficult to remove the rover from the loose patch of Martian soil called Troy, engineers at NASA&#... |
15 September 2009
02:34 GMT |
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Experts at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), in Pasadena, California, have recently released a new report, detailing the condition of the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO). Having suffered its fourth glitch this year, the craft is not exactly in the best shape of its life, mission planners say. Analysis of the lat... |
14 September 2009
19:51 GMT |
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From the beginning of April through early August of 2009, the HiRISE (High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment) camera aboard the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) recorded a number of about 1,500 new photographs of the Martian surface. The amazing snapshots, taken with a resolution as small as 25 centimeters per p... |
14 September 2009
09:00 GMT |
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According to the presidential panel committee that has just recently finished looking into the activities under development at NASA, extending the lifespan of the International Space Station (ISS) beyond 2015 is key to reaching Mars. The experts, who said that they themselves were surprised by the find, highlight the... |
1 September 2009
06:41 GMT |
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After the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) again entered safe mode recently, experts and managers at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, in Pasadena, California, are currently working on reestablishing contact with the space probe. After the August 26th glitch, the orbiter rebooted its computer, but did not engage i... |
29 August 2009
04:50 GMT |
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ASUS, one of the world's leading vendors of computer hardware, has recently announced the introduction of its high-end Republic of Gamers (ROG) MARS/2DI/4GD3 graphics card to the US market. The card, which has been initially showcased by the company at its booth at Computex, earlier this year, was designed to de... |
27 August 2009
04:34 GMT |
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Experts at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), in Pasadena, California, announce that the NASA-operated Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) entered 'safe mode' again on Wednesday, for the fourth time this year. While in this mode, the spacecraft maintains its altitude and direction controls, but all its othe... |
27 August 2009
01:10 GMT |
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While the Grand Canyon in the US may be the most spectacular such formation back on Earth, its splendor is far surpassed by the magnificent beauty of a similar, yet far larger formation on the face of Mars, called Valles Marineris. There are also other differences between the two, such as the fact that geologists act... |
26 August 2009
04:07 GMT |
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Experts at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), in Pasadena, California, have just added a second rover to their experiments designed to figure out a way to get the Martian rover Spirit out of its sand trap on the Red Planet. The team has added a lighter-weight version of the two MER components, and it will begi... |
24 August 2009
04:40 GMT |
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The meteorite that the Mars rover Opportunity discovered a few weeks ago is shedding more and more light on the past composition and state of the atmosphere on the planet. Following thorough investigations, experts have been able to infer that the gaseous mix was a lot thicker in the past than it is now. The conclusi... |
20 August 2009
16:21 GMT |
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The Mars Exploration Rovers (MER) mission managers at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), in Pasadena, California, are celebrating Spirit's record-setting anniversary of Martian presence. Originally designed to roam the sands of the Red Planet for just 90 sols (a mean Martian day has 24 hours, 39 minutes, and 3... |
19 August 2009
05:57 GMT |
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As we announced yesterday, NASA conducted today its first flight test for the new Inflatable Re-entry Vehicle Experiment, or IRVE, a spacecraft that was specifically designed to protect carrying vehicles from the rigor of a harsh atmospheric reentry. The success of the current test will determine whether or not it wi... |
18 August 2009
08:00 GMT |
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Engineers at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), in Pasadena, California, announced yesterday that the test rover at the facility would undergo a full week of test trials starting next Monday, as the team attempts to discover the best possible methods of getting Spirit unstuck. The Martian rover is stuck in a patch ... |
14 August 2009
09:49 GMT |
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Landing instruments such as the twin Mars rovers Spirit and Opportunity, and the Phoenix Mars Lander on the surface of the Red Planet is one thing, but setting down the one-tonne Curiosity (MSL) is another challenge altogether. Undoubtedly, future landings will aim at setting down even larger crafts, so the current a... |
12 August 2009
16:01 GMT |
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According to statistical estimates, Earth's rocks should have a much higher concentration of carbon dioxide inside them than proven scientifically, and the discrepancy has experts asking where the rest of the chemical went. The estimates were drawn from the amount of carbon that can be found in the planet-formin... |
12 August 2009
05:15 GMT |
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In its trek on the surface of Mars, the rover Opportunity has recently come across an ancient meteor, made almost entirely out of metal, according to investigators at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), in Pasadena, California. The peculiar formation is currently helping planetary scientists gain a deeper insight in... |
11 August 2009
20:01 GMT |
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Since 2004, when the first traces of the gas were discovered on the Red Planet, the scientific community has been in frenzy. Once thought to be an inhospitable, barren landscape filled with desert, our neighboring planet is now considered to be either occupied by life forms, or as still having volcanic activity. Rega... |
11 August 2009
06:11 GMT |
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Over the past couple of years, as vast amounts of scientific data on the Red Planet became available to research groups, scientists were overjoyed at noticing traces of methane on the surface of our neighbor. This was important because it implied biological sources – such as decomposing organisms – could ... |
6 August 2009
17:51 GMT |
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The US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the European Space Agency (ESA) have recently unveiled their joint plans of exploring Mars between 2015 and 2020. Under the agreement, ESA is to build a trace-gas orbiter, a spacecraft able to detect gas plumes emanating from the Red Planet and to image ... |
6 August 2009
02:45 GMT |
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Since US President Barack Obama asked the Review for US Human Space Flight Plans panel to investigate the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), its members have taken their jobs seriously. They looked into Project Constellation, analyzed progress, costs, budget overruns, and benefits, and noted their ... |
6 August 2009
02:05 GMT |
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