Mars News - SciTechDaily

Curiosity’s Wild Ride: How the Sky Crane Changed the Way NASA Explores Mars

Jet Propulsion Laboratory — Fri, 16 Aug 2024 10:15:58 +0000

Twelve years ago, NASA landed its six-wheeled science lab using a daring new technology that lowers the rover using a robotic jetpack. Developed due to the size and weight of Curiosity, the sky crane allowed precise landings in scientifically valuable locations. This innovative system, initially doubted, has proven essential for missions and may be adapted [...]

How Sonic Technology Is Advancing Wind Detection on Mars

American Institute of Physics — Fri, 16 Aug 2024 07:21:06 +0000

Mars’s hostile environment presents significant challenges for measuring wind speeds, but new advancements are making it possible to collect more accurate data. Researchers have developed a novel sonic anemometric system using piezoelectric transducers, enabling faster and more precise measurements of Martian winds. This technology, which could measure up to 100 wind speeds per second, represents [...]

Making Mars Livable: Efficient Terraforming With Engineered Nanoparticles

Louise Lerner , University of Chicago — Thu, 15 Aug 2024 03:15:39 +0000

University of Chicago and Northwestern researchers have developed a new method to warm Mars by over 50 degrees Fahrenheit using engineered dust particles, which could make the planet suitable for microbial life and future human colonization. This approach utilizes resources found on Mars and could be 5,000 times more efficient than previous methods, potentially accelerating [...]

Could Perseverance’s Mars Samples Hold the Secret to Ancient Life?

University of California - Berkeley — Wed, 14 Aug 2024 13:00:40 +0000

NASA’s Perseverance rover has gathered rock samples from Mars that could alter our understanding of water’s history on the planet and potentially reveal past life. These samples, collected over five months in 2022 from Jezero Crater, are crucial because they were transported and deposited by water, possibly retaining evidence of past microbial life. However, detailed [...]

Subsurface Oceans on Mars? NASA’s InSight Uncovers Vast Reservoir of Liquid Water

University of California - Berkeley — Wed, 14 Aug 2024 03:01:42 +0000

Geophysicists using seismic data from NASA’s Insight lander have discovered a significant underground water reservoir on Mars, potentially enough to have once filled ancient oceans. This reservoir, trapped within the mid-crust of Mars, suggests that the red planet’s water did not entirely escape into space but was absorbed into its crust, altering previous theories about [...]

Potential Evidence of Life Discovered on Mars by NASA’s Perseverance Rover

Jet Propulsion Laboratory — Tue, 13 Aug 2024 08:26:06 +0000

NASA’s Perseverance rover has discovered an intriguing rock on Mars, named Cheyava Falls, showcasing potential signs of ancient life due to its unique chemical signatures and structural features. This finding, supported by the presence of organic compounds and distinct color patterns suggestive of microbial activity, fuels ongoing research to determine Mars’s habitability. Discovery of Cheyava [...]

Did We Just Find Liquid Water on Mars? NASA InSight Lander’s Surprising Data

University of California - San Diego — Mon, 12 Aug 2024 19:00:57 +0000

Recent findings from the Mars InSight mission indicate that Mars may have liquid water within its crust, a revelation that enhances the planet’s potential habitability and propels the search for life. Led by Vashan Wright, the research team analyzed Marsquake data to deduce the presence of sub-surface liquid water, providing exciting possibilities for understanding Mars’ [...]

Tracing Water on Mars: From Ice Caps to Hidden Oceans and the Quest for Life

Charles Q. Choi, NASA — Mon, 12 Aug 2024 16:01:34 +0000

Mars, though currently a frigid, dry landscape, harbors compelling signs of its wetter past and potential subterranean water sources that could support life or future human colonies. Research indicates ancient Martian rivers and lakes, frozen water at the poles, and minerals suggesting significant water presence. These findings shape the search for life and inform plans [...]

100,000 Orbits Later: NASA’s Mars Odyssey Captures Huge Volcano in Breathtaking New View

Jet Propulsion Laboratory — Thu, 08 Aug 2024 11:12:26 +0000

The 23-year-old orbiter is taking images that offer horizon-wide views of the Red Planet similar to what astronauts aboard the International Space Station see over Earth. NASA’s 2001 Mars Odyssey orbiter celebrates 100,000 orbits around Mars, providing valuable data and stunning images like the recent horizon shot of Olympus Mons. The mission, managed by NASA’s [...]

Life’s Origins on Mars? NASA’s Curiosity Rover Finds “Smoking Gun” in Organic Material

University of Copenhagen — Sun, 04 Aug 2024 10:16:22 +0000

Two samples from Mars together deliver the “smoking gun” in a new study showing the origin of Martian organic material. The study presents solid evidence for a prediction made over a decade ago that could be key to understanding how organic molecules, the foundation of life, were first formed here on Earth. Curiosity rover’s findings [...]

Is There Life on Mars? NASA’s AI Rovers Might Soon Tell Us

Jet Propulsion Laboratory — Sun, 28 Jul 2024 07:10:43 +0000

Artificial intelligence is helping scientists to identify minerals within rocks studied by the Perseverance rover. NASA’s Perseverance rover on Mars employs advanced AI technologies, such as adaptive sampling with the PIXL instrument, to autonomously analyze rock compositions in search of potential signs of ancient microbial life. This represents a significant step towards smarter space missions [...]

Frontiers of Fungal Engineering: NASA’s Mycotecture for Lunar and Martian Habitats

NASA — Sat, 27 Jul 2024 17:42:52 +0000

NASA is exploring the use of fungi to build habitats for missions to the Moon and Mars. The mycotecture project, which has received $2 million for further development, could create sustainable, compact habitats that grow on-site, potentially transforming space construction and resource management. Innovative Habitat Solutions for Space Exploration As NASA prepares for long-duration missions to [...]

This Remarkable Desert Plant Could Grow on Mars

Cell Press — Wed, 24 Jul 2024 19:02:35 +0000

The desert moss Syntrichia caninervis could be key to colonizing Mars due to its ability to survive extreme cold, radiation, and Mars-like conditions, potentially supporting sustainable extraterrestrial habitats. The desert moss Syntrichia caninervis shows great promise for Mars colonization due to its remarkable resilience to extreme conditions that are typically fatal for most life forms. [...]

“Strange and Unexpected” – NASA’s Curiosity Rover Stumbles Upon Yellow Crystals on Mars

NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory — Tue, 23 Jul 2024 02:32:25 +0000

Among several recent findings, the rover has found rocks made of pure sulfur — a first on the Red Planet. NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover recently discovered yellow sulfur crystals in a rock on Mars, revealing pure sulfur in an area known for sulfate salts. This unexpected find occurred while exploring Gediz Vallis channel on Mount [...]

No Longer Science Fiction: Scientists Develop Real-Life “Stillsuit” From Dune

Frontiers — Tue, 23 Jul 2024 00:31:12 +0000

The new spacesuit urine filtration system by Cornell researchers recycles astronauts’ urine into drinkable water, aiming to improve comfort and efficiency on future Moon and Mars missions. Currently, astronauts must relieve themselves inside their spacesuits during spacewalks. This is not only uncomfortable and unhygienic, but also wasteful. Unlike the wastewater management system on the International [...]

Charting the Red Planet: How Open Science Fuels Mars Exploration

Jet Propulsion Laboratory — Sun, 14 Jul 2024 09:45:53 +0000

Combining images from orbit with images from the surface, a JPL-developed tool allows researchers to zoom in to see individual boulders and zoom out to see all of Mars. Mars rovers can only make exciting new discoveries thanks to human scientists making careful decisions about their next stop. The Mars 2020 mission is aimed at [...]

Martian Voyagers: Meet the NASA Crew Who Lived on “Mars” for a Year

NASA — Sat, 13 Jul 2024 19:33:41 +0000

During the year-long CHAPEA mission, a team simulated living on Mars to gather insights into the psychological and operational challenges of space travel, providing valuable data for future Mars explorations. When the first humans travel to the Red Planet, they will need to know how to repair and maintain equipment, grow their own food, and [...]

Life on Mars: Lessons From NASA’s 378-Day CHAPEA Experiment

NASA's Johnson Space Center — Fri, 12 Jul 2024 12:26:33 +0000

NASA’s inaugural CHAPEA crew completed a year-long simulated Mars mission at Johnson Space Center, involving four crew members who lived in a 3D-printed habitat to assess human health and performance in isolation and confinement. The simulation, part of NASA’s broader Artemis campaign, aims to prepare for future manned missions to Mars with additional analog missions [...]

Subarctic Secrets: Mars’ Cold and Icy Past Revealed in New Research

Desert Research Institute — Thu, 11 Jul 2024 08:17:04 +0000

A new study finds critical clues lurking in the Red Planet’s soil. Recent research comparing soils from Earth and Mars suggests Mars’ historical climate was cold and subarctic, similar to Newfoundland. The study focused on amorphous materials in Gale Crater’s soil, potentially preserved by near-freezing conditions, offering new insights into Mars’ environmental conditions and its [...]

Perseverance Triumphs: How SHERLOC Was Brought Back to Life on Mars

Jet Propulsion Laboratory — Sat, 06 Jul 2024 13:21:44 +0000

After six months of effort, an instrument that helps NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover look for potential signs of ancient microbial life has come back online. After a mechanical failure halted SHERLOC’s operations on the Perseverance rover, NASA engineers conducted thorough testing and innovative fixes to restore the instrument. Their efforts, which included manipulating the rover’s [...]

A Snaking Scar Across Mars: The Mystery of Aganippe Fossa

European Space Agency (ESA) — Fri, 05 Jul 2024 07:01:13 +0000

A fascinating feature takes center stage in this new image from ESA’s Mars Express: a dark, uneven scar slicing through marbled ground at the foot of a giant volcano. This scar, known as Aganippe Fossa, is a patchy, roughly 600-km-long feature known as a ‘graben’: a ditch-like groove with steep walls on either side. Aganippe [...]

Mars Quakes Reveal Daily Meteor Bombardments on the Red Planet

ETH Zurich — Tue, 02 Jul 2024 07:50:23 +0000

An international research team has estimated that Mars is hit by 280 to 360 large meteorites annually, based on seismic data from NASA’s InSight Mission. This rate is five times higher than estimates derived from orbital images, highlighting the effectiveness of seismology in impact studies. For the first time, researchers use seismic data to estimate [...]

Surprising Discovery of Frost on Martian Volcanoes Near Equator – “Thought Impossible”

European Space Agency (ESA) — Tue, 02 Jul 2024 00:16:54 +0000

ESA missions discovered frost near Mars’s equator, a surprising find given the area’s typically higher temperatures. This frost, appearing temporarily on the Tharsis volcanoes, suggests a unique microclimate and air circulation at high altitudes. The finding, facilitated by ESA’s orbiters ExoMars TGO and Mars Express, marks a significant step in understanding Martian atmospheric dynamics and [...]

Meteorite Mayhem: How NASA InSight’s Seismic Data Is Rewriting Martian History

Imperial College London — Fri, 28 Jun 2024 09:00:16 +0000

Seismic signals indicate Mars gets hit by around 300 basketball-sized meteorites every year, providing a new tool for dating planetary surfaces. Scientists involved in NASA’s InSight mission have uncovered that Mars is subjected to far more meteorite impacts than previously thought, with annual rates ranging from 280 to 360 significant impacts. This new understanding stems [...]