NASA to roleplay what would happen if an asteroid struck Earth
This week, space agencies from around the world will drop everything to figure out an emergency response to our planet being struck by an enormous asteroid.
NASA’s InSight mission prepares for Mars landing on Monday
NASA's InSight mission to Mars is just days away from reaching its destination. On Monday 26, the InSight lander will blaze through the atmosphere of the red planet and land on the surface. Now, the NASA team is making final preparations for the landing. The landing will be streamed live on YouTube.
Curiosity has found an intriguing shiny object on the surface of Mars
NASA's Curiosity rover has discovered an intriguing shiny object on the surface of Mars called Little Colonsay, believed to be a meteorite. Curiosity has discovered meteorites on the surface of Mars before, but chemical analysis is needed before a judgement can be made about what exactly the object is.
InSight mission to Mars has touched down inside a cozy sandbox
NASA has shared more details about the landing of its InSight mission to Mars. The lander avoided rocks and other hazards and has touched down inside a crater. This means it sits at a slight angle, but not so steep that it will prevent the vehicle from collecting its data.
Hear the sounds of wind on Mars from InSight’s latest audio recording
NASA's InSight craft has sent back audio of the sound of the surface of Mars. The audio captures the sound of the wind blowing over the lander's solar panels, as picked up by two instruments: the air pressure sensor and the seismometer, which were able to detect vibrations from the 10 to 15 mph winds.
Mars Express captures image of an icy crater on the surface of Mars
The European Space Agency's Mars Express mission has captured new images of a huge crater on the surface of Mars, measuring over 50 miles across and located in the northern lowlands. Although it might look like the crater is full of snow, it is actually full of water ice.
Mars’ disappearing methane proves a puzzle for scientists
A strange mystery is going down on Mars, as scientists detected traces of methane in the atmosphere of Mars years ago. But now the team collecting data from a satellite currently in orbit around Mars has reported that the orbiter has not found any evidence of methane on Mars.
NASA makes last ditch attempt to revive dormant Mars rover Opportunity
The Opportunity rover is solar-powered, and last year a dust storm blocked the sun's rays from recharging its batteries. The rover has not responded to contact from Earth over the last seven months, leading the NASA team to believe that it may no longer be able to continue its mission.
Curiosity rover learns a new trick: Measuring the gravity of mountains
NASA's Curiosity rover has provided unexpected insight into the gravity on Mars by using its sensors as a makeshift gravimeter. Scientists realized that they could use the rover's accelerometers and gyroscopes to gather data on the mountain that Curiosity is currently exploring, called Mount Sharp.
InSight places a heat shield over its seismometer, is very proud of itself
NASA's InSight lander carefully placed its seismometer, called the Seismic Experiment for Interior Structure (SEIS), on the Martian surface at the end of last year. Now the lander has successfully lowered a shield over the seismometer to protect it from the harsh Martian environment.
Curiosity says goodbye to the Vera Rubin Ridge with a 360 video
The Curiosity rover has been exploring the Vera Rubin Ridge on Mars for more than a year now, and it is time for the explorer to move on to new areas of the planet. But before it departs, Curiosity has captured a 360 video of its final drill site -- an area that scientists have nicknamed Rock Hall.
NASA’s MAVEN orbiter has a new job as a communication relay for Mars 2020
NASA's Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution (MAVEN) mission has been orbiting Mars and collecting readings from the planet's atmosphere for four years. But now the MAVEN orbiter is taking on a new job as a data relay satellite for the Mars 2020 mission that launches next year.
Descending at an angle could be key to landing heavier craft on Mars
One of the challenges of landing on Mars is getting a lander onto the surface safely: The heavier the craft, the more difficult a safe landing is to achieve. Scientists propose using retropropulsion engines and angling the craft to create a pressure differential to land heavier crafts in the future.
Underground volcanoes could explain possible liquid water on Mars
Last year, scientists made the discovery that there could be liquid water on Mars beneath the polar ice cap. Now, a different team of researchers has argued that for there to be liquid water, there must be an underground source of heat -- and they believe that underground volcanoes could be responsible.
InSight’s heat probe will dig 16 feet beneath the surface of Mars
Having placed its seismometer onto the Martian surface and covered it with a heat shield, NASA's InSight mission has deployed its second instrument. New images from the lander have confirmed that InSight succeeded in setting the Heat Flow and Physical Properties Package instrument onto the surface.
Curiosity suffered a boot issue but is now back up and roving
The NASA team has been dealing with a small hiccup in the operations of the Curiosity rover since it went into safe mode last week. Now the problem has been fixed and the rover has booted up over 30 times without any further issues, so the rover can get back underway on its mission to explore Mars.
Think it’s cold here? Check out the weather report on Mars
Good news if you're planning a trip to Mars -- you can check a daily weather report on the planet. NASA's Insight lander uses a set of sensors called the Auxiliary Payload Subsystem to monitor temperature, wind, and air pressure and sends this information back to Earth to share on NASA's website.
Readying for Mars mission, rover finds clues to life in the Chilean desert
Ever wondered how the Curiosity rover was designed and trained? With no tech support available, engineers have to plan how a rover will navigate and collect samples. A rover testing out Mars-like environments here on Earth has successful in collecting soil samples in a trial mission to find signs of life.
Did there used to be liquid water on Mars? New images give clues
Mars may be cold and dry now, but new evidence suggests in the distant past the conditions on the planet were very different. The Mars Express orbiter has captured images of a region of branching valleys and trenches which suggest that liquid water once flowed on the surface.
NASA’s Mars InSight lander is facing a rocky road as its drill hits a rock
The InSight lander on Mars has run into trouble this week with its project to drill down into the surface to measure heat from inside the planet. The lander is equipped with a probe that was to dig up to 16 feet down into the surface, but now drilling has been suspended for two weeks.
Opportunity’s final image is a haunting panorama of the Martian surface
The Opportunity mission to Mars may be no more, but the rover's legacy lives on. Now NASA has released the final image captured by Opportunity, and it's a stunning panorama of the Martian surface showing the rover's tracks, the floor of the Perseverance Valley, and the Endeavour crater.
NASA’s Mars 2020 rover passes its tests with flying colors
Preparations are well underway for NASA's next mission to Mars. The Mars 2020 team has been undertaking a series of tests to see if the craft will be able to launch, navigate, and land on the Red Planet. Called Systems Test 1, or ST1, these tests represent the first test drive of the new rover.
Curiosity data shows how asteroid impact could have made Mars habitable
A new study using data from the Curiosity rover has revealed clues that the planet may have been habitable thousands of years ago. The study used data from Curiosity's SAM instrument (Sample Analysis at Mars) which analyzed samples which were either drilled from bedrock or scooped up from the surface.
Methane on Mars confirmed — but there’s probably no life there
A clue into disappearing methane on Mars has been revealed. Data collected from orbit by the ESA’s Mars Express mission has been examined to look for correlations with data collected from the surface by the Curiosity rover. A reanalysis of the satellite data shows methane was present at just one location.
Curiosity collects first clay sample, could provide evidence of ancient water
The Curiosity rover's adventures on Mars continue with an exploration of the clay-rich bedrock in a part of Mount Sharp. Curiosity previously had problems drilling into the hard Mars bedrock, but the softer soil in its new location was no issue for Curiosity's drill this time.
Curiosity images show two solar eclipses as seen from the surface of Mars
The Curiosity rover has captured a remarkable set of images showing two solar eclipses as seen from Mars. Using the solar filters on its Mastcam it was able to directly observe the Sun and to capture images of solar eclipses caused by two of Mars's moons, Phobos and Deimos, passing in front of the Sun.
See the sun rise and set on another planet in these InSight images
A pair of images taken by the Instrument Deployment Camera (IDC) aboard NASA's InSight lander has captured views of the sunrise and sunset on Mars. These images are part of a Martian tradition, in which different Mars landers take images of the cycles of day and night on the planet.
InSight’s solar panels get a spring cleaning from Martian winds
Winds on Mars caused the ultimate demise of the Opportunity rover, but they could also help extend the life of the InSight mission. The same winds that blow dust onto spacecrafts' solar panels can also blow that dust away, so scientists are now studying the way wind affects InSight's power generation.
Mars has its own water cycle, explaining why it lost its water over time
Billions of years ago, Mars used to have water on its surface. But over time, this water was lost. Now scientists have created a computer simulation which shows how water vapor moves through the Martian atmosphere, and which could explain why Mars lost its water over time while Earth did not.
See a fly-over of Mars and track the path Curiosity will take up Mount Sharp
Take a trip to Mars with a new video from NASA. This animation shows a fly-over of Mount Sharp, the location the Curiosity rover is currently exploring. It also shows the path Curiosity will take as it travels up the mountain to learn more about the geology and history of the planet.
Curiosity rover finds evidence that water once existed on the surface of Mars
NASA's Curiosity rover has found the highest amounts of clay in any sample taken so far during its mission to Mars. The rover snapped a selfie as it explored the clay-bearing unit where the newest samples were taken from. These new findings provide evidence there was once water in the region.
Mars 2020 will capture high-definition color images from the Jezero Crater
The Mars 2020 rover will be launching next year and heading to an area of Mars called the Jezero Crater, the site of an ancient lake. But to navigate and document the crater, the rover will need to collect visual information. For this purpose, it is being equipped with two high definition color cameras.
NASA’s Mars Helicopter is ready to take to the red skies
NASA's Mars Helicopter passed its latest barrage of tests and is almost ready for its trip to the Red Planet, where it will travel alongside the Mars 2020 rover when the mission launches next year. The tests included simulating the cold, thin Martian atmosphere and testing the delivery system.
How to move a mole: NASA scientists design rescue operation for Mars lander
NASA's InSight lander is facing challenges. Earlier this year it deployed its drilling instrument, the Heat Flow and Physical Properties Package, but a part of the instrument called the mole got stuck while drilling several months ago. Now scientists have a plan to save the mole.