ScienceDaily: Mars News

NASA Mars rover Curiosity drills second rock target

Mon, 20 May 2013 17:32:32 EDT

NASA's Mars rover Curiosity has used the drill on its robotic arm to collect a powdered sample from the interior of a rock called "Cumberland." Plans call for delivering portions of the sample in coming days to laboratory instruments inside the rover. This is only the second time that a sample has been collected from inside a rock on Mars.

Mars rover Opportunity examines clay clues in rock

Sat, 18 May 2013 10:06:06 EDT

NASA's senior Mars rover, Opportunity, is driving to a new study area after a dramatic finish to 20 months on "Cape York" with examination of a rock intensely altered by water.

Nine-year-old Mars rover passes 40-year-old record

Fri, 17 May 2013 12:09:09 EDT

While Apollo 17 astronauts Eugene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt visited Earth's moon for three days in December 1972, they drove their mission's Lunar Roving Vehicle 19.3 nautical miles (22.210 statute miles or 35.744 kilometers). That was the farthest total distance for any NASA vehicle driving on a world other than Earth until yesterday.

New craters abound: Mars camera reveals hundreds of impacts each year

Wed, 15 May 2013 16:50:50 EDT

Taking before and after pictures of the Martian terrain, researchers have identified nearly 250 fresh impact craters on the Red Planet. The results provide scientists with a better yardstick to estimate how frequently craters are blasted on Mars, allowing them to assess recently formed features with greater accuracy.

NASA Curiosity rover team selects second drilling target on NASA

Fri, 10 May 2013 19:33:33 EDT

The team operating NASA's Curiosity Mars rover has selected a second target rock for drilling and sampling. The rover will set course to the drilling location in coming days.

Wind, not water, formed mound on Mars, new analysis suggests

Mon, 06 May 2013 13:24:24 EDT

Researchers suggest that Mars' roughly 3.5-mile high Mount Sharp most likely emerged as strong winds carried dust and sand into Gale Crater where the mound sits. If correct, the research could dilute expectations that the mound is the remnant of a massive lake, which would have important implications for understanding Mars' past habitability.

Studying meteorites may reveal Mars' secrets of life

Wed, 01 May 2013 19:32:32 EDT

In an effort to determine if conditions were ever right on Mars to sustain life, a team of scientists has examined a meteorite that formed on the Red Planet more than a billion years ago.

Mars Opportunity rover in standby as commanding moratorium ends

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 10:27:27 EDT

During a moratorium on commanding this month while Mars passed nearly behind the sun -- a phase called solar conjunction -- NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity entered a type of standby mode.

Update: Comet to make close flyby of Red Planet in October 2014

Mon, 15 Apr 2013 12:32:32 EDT

New observations of comet C/2013 A1 (Siding Spring) have allowed NASA's Near-Earth Object Office at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif. to further refine the comet's orbit.

NASA Mars Orbiter images may show 1971 Soviet lander

Thu, 11 Apr 2013 13:33:33 EDT

Hardware from a spacecraft that the Soviet Union landed on Mars in 1971 might appear in images from NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. While following news about Mars and NASA's Curiosity rover, Russian citizen enthusiasts found four features in a five-year-old image from Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter that resemble four pieces of hardware from the Soviet Mars 3 mission: the parachute, heat shield, terminal retrorocket and lander. A follow-up image by the orbiter from last month shows the same features.

Remaining Martian atmosphere still dynamic

Mon, 08 Apr 2013 19:29:29 EDT

Mars has lost much of its original atmosphere, but what's left remains quite active, recent findings from NASA's Mars rover Curiosity indicate, scientists report. Evidence has strengthened that Mars lost much of its original atmosphere by a process of gas escaping from the top of the atmosphere.

How carbon moves within planet plays big role in planetary atmosphere formation

Mon, 08 Apr 2013 15:29:29 EDT

A new study suggests that the way carbon moves from within a planet to the surface plays a big role in the evolution of a planet's atmosphere. Mars, which likely released much of its carbon as methane, might have been warm enough to support liquid water.

Used parachute on Mars flaps in the wind

Thu, 04 Apr 2013 10:56:56 EDT

Photos from NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter show how the parachute that helped NASA's Curiosity rover land on Mars last summer has subsequently changed its shape on the ground.

Final MAVEN instrument integrated to spacecraft

Wed, 03 Apr 2013 20:03:03 EDT

An instrument that will measure the composition of Mars' upper atmosphere has been integrated to NASA's Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN (MAVEN) spacecraft. MAVEN has a scheduled launch date of Nov. 18.

Growing plants on Mars

Thu, 28 Mar 2013 07:57:57 EDT

Concrete plans for a one-way ticket to Mars have been forged. Food will have to be grown on location. Is this a distant future scenario? Not for scientists researching whether or not it is possible to grow plants on the moon.

Measuring Mars: The MAVEN magnetometer

Tue, 26 Mar 2013 19:41:41 EDT

When the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution (MAVEN) mission begins its journey to the Red Planet in 2013, it will carry a sensitive magnetic-field instrument built and tested by a team at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. Scheduled for launch in late 2013, MAVEN will be the first mission devoted to understanding the Martian upper atmosphere. The goal of MAVEN is to determine the history of the loss of atmospheric gases to space through time, providing answers about Mars' climate evolution.

Mars Curiosity rover resumes science investigations

Mon, 25 Mar 2013 11:11:11 EDT

NASA's Mars rover Curiosity has resumed science investigations after recovery from a computer glitch that prompted the engineers to switch the rover to a redundant main computer on Feb. 28. The rover has been monitoring the weather since March 21 and delivered a new portion of powdered-rock sample for laboratory analysis on March 23, among other activities.

Sun in the way will affect Mars missions in April

Wed, 20 Mar 2013 19:24:24 EDT

The positions of the planets next month will mean diminished communications between Earth and NASA's spacecraft at Mars. Mars will be passing almost directly behind the sun, from Earth's perspective. The sun can easily disrupt radio transmissions between the two planets during that near-alignment. To prevent an impaired command from reaching an orbiter or rover, mission controllers at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., are preparing to suspend sending any commands to spacecraft at Mars for weeks in April. Transmissions from Mars to Earth will also be reduced.

Mars Curiosity rover exits 'safe mode'

Wed, 20 Mar 2013 19:22:22 EDT

NASA's Mars rover Curiosity has returned to active status and is on track to resume science investigations, following two days in a precautionary standby status, "safe mode."

Los Alamos science sleuth on the trail of a Martian mystery

Tue, 19 Mar 2013 20:24:24 EDT

When it comes to examining the surface of rocks on Mars with a high-powered laser, five is a magic number for Los Alamos National Laboratory postdoctoral researcher Nina Lanza. At a recent conference, Lanza described how the laser-shooting ChemCam instrument aboard the Curiosity rover has shown what appears to be a common feature on the surface of some very different Martian rocks.

Curiosity Mars rover sees trend in water presence

Mon, 18 Mar 2013 13:33:33 EDT

NASA's Mars rover Curiosity has seen evidence of water-bearing minerals in rocks near where it had already found clay minerals inside a drilled rock.

New Curiosity 'safe mode' status expected to be brief

Mon, 18 Mar 2013 11:11:11 EDT

NASA's Mars rover Curiosity is expected to resume science investigations in a few days, as engineers quickly diagnosed a software issue that prompted the rover to put itself into a precautionary standby status over the weekend.

Panorama from NASA Mars rover shows Mount Sharp

Mon, 18 Mar 2013 10:33:33 EDT

Rising above the present location of NASA's Mars rover Curiosity, higher than any mountain in the 48 contiguous states of the United States, Mount Sharp is featured in new imagery from the rover.

Particles and fields package integrated on upcoming Mars-bound spacecraft

Thu, 14 Mar 2013 14:11:11 EDT

The six science instruments that comprise the Particles and Fields Package that will characterize the solar wind and ionosphere of Mars have been integrated aboard NASA's Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN spacecraft. The spacecraft is on track for launch later this year.

NASA rover finds conditions once suited for ancient life on Mars

Tue, 12 Mar 2013 13:17:17 EDT

An analysis of a rock sample collected by NASA's Curiosity rover shows ancient Mars could have supported living microbes. Scientists identified sulfur, nitrogen, hydrogen, oxygen, phosphorus and carbon -- some of the key chemical ingredients for life -- in the powder Curiosity drilled out of a sedimentary rock near an ancient stream bed in Gale Crater on the Red Planet last month.

Strategies for possible survival on Mars: Scientists found differences in core proteins from a microorganism that lives in a salty lake in Antarctica

Mon, 11 Mar 2013 17:39:39 EDT

Research has revealed key features in proteins needed for life to function on Mars and other extreme environments. Scientists studied organisms that survive in the extreme conditions of Antarctica. They found differences between the core proteins in ordinary organisms and Haloarchaea, organisms that tolerate severe conditions such as high salinity, desiccation, and extreme temperatures. The research provides a window into how life could adapt to exist on Mars.

New 3-D reconstructions show buried flood channels on Mars

Thu, 07 Mar 2013 14:52:52 EST

New maps of the subsurface of Mars show for the first time buried channels below the surface of the red planet. Understanding the source and scale of the young channels present in Elysium Planitia -- an expanse of plains along the equator, and the youngest volcanic region on the planet -- is essential to comprehend recent Martian hydrologic activity and determine if such floods could have induced climate change.

Comet to make close flyby of Red Planet in October 2014

Wed, 06 Mar 2013 13:14:14 EST

Comet 2013 A1 (Siding Spring) will make a very close approach to Mars in October 2014.

Mars rover Curiosity's recovery on track

Tue, 05 Mar 2013 08:40:40 EST

NASA's Mars rover Curiosity has transitioned from precautionary "safe mode" to active status on the path of recovery from a memory glitch last week. Resumption of full operations is anticipated by next week.

Computer swap on NASA's Mars rover Curiosity

Thu, 28 Feb 2013 11:11:11 EST

The ground team for NASA's Mars rover Curiosity has switched the rover to a redundant onboard computer in response to a memory issue on the computer that had been active.

Lab instruments inside Curiosity eat Mars rock powder

Mon, 25 Feb 2013 18:56:56 EST

Two compact laboratories inside NASA's Mars rover Curiosity have ingested portions of the first sample of rock powder ever collected from the interior of a rock on Mars. Curiosity science team members will use the laboratories to analyze the rock powder in the coming days and weeks.

NASA rover confirms first drilled Mars rock sample

Wed, 20 Feb 2013 16:11:11 EST

NASA's Mars rover Curiosity has relayed new images that confirm it has successfully obtained the first sample ever collected from the interior of a rock on another planet. No rover has ever drilled into a rock beyond Earth and collected a sample from its interior.

NASA Curiosity rover collects first Martian bedrock sample

Sat, 09 Feb 2013 11:11:11 EST

NASA's Curiosity rover has, for the first time, used a drill carried at the end of its robotic arm to bore into a flat, veiny rock on Mars and collect a sample from its interior. This is the first time any robot has drilled into a rock to collect a sample on Mars.

Preparatory drill test performed on Mars

Thu, 07 Feb 2013 20:39:39 EST

The drill on NASA's Mars rover Curiosity used both percussion and rotation to bore about 0.8 inch (2 centimeters) into a rock on Mars and generate cuttings for evaluation in advance of the rover's first sample-collection drilling.

Scientists discover how the world's saltiest pond gets its salt

Thu, 07 Feb 2013 13:17:17 EST

Antarctica's Don Juan Pond exists only because its high salinity -- the highest of any body of water on the planet -- keeps it from freezing. New researcher finds that water sucked out of the air by parched, salty soil provides the saltwater brine that enables the pond to persist in one of the coldest and driest places on Earth. The findings could shed light on possibility of flowing water on Mars.

Weekend test on Mars was preparation to drill a rock

Mon, 04 Feb 2013 19:03:03 EST

The bit of the rock-sampling drill on NASA's Mars rover Curiosity left its mark on a Martian rock this weekend during brief testing of the tool's percussive action.

Fossilized conduits suggest water flowed beneath Martian surface

Tue, 29 Jan 2013 12:19:19 EST

Networks of narrow ridges found in impact craters on Mars appear to be the fossilized remnants of underground cracks through which water once flowed, according to a new analysis. The study bolsters the idea that the subsurface environment on Mars once had an active hydrology and could be a good place to search for evidence of past life.

Mars rover Curiosity maneuver prepares for drilling

Mon, 28 Jan 2013 22:44:44 EST

NASA's Mars rover Curiosity has placed its drill onto a series of four locations on a Martian rock and pressed down on it with the rover's arm, in preparation for using the drill in coming days.

Thawing 'dry ice' drives groovy action on Mars

Fri, 25 Jan 2013 09:53:53 EST

Researchers using NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter see seasonal changes on far-northern Martian sand dunes caused by warming of a winter blanket of frozen carbon dioxide.

Mars rover Curiosity uses arm camera at night

Thu, 24 Jan 2013 14:06:06 EST

NASA's Mars rover Curiosity has for the first time used the camera on its arm to take photos at night, illuminated by white lights and ultraviolet lights on the instrument.

NASA's veteran Mars rover ready to start 10th year

Tue, 22 Jan 2013 16:38:38 EST

NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity, one of the twin rovers that bounced to airbag-cushioned safe landings on Mars nine years ago this week, is currently examining veined rocks on the rim of an ancient crater.

Mars' Reull Vallis: A river ran through it

Tue, 22 Jan 2013 10:50:50 EST

The European Space Agency's Mars Express imaged the striking upper part of the Reull Vallis region of Mars with its high-resolution stereo camera last year. Reull Vallis, the river-like structure in these images, is believed to have formed when running water flowed in the distant martian past, cutting a steep-sided channel through the Promethei Terra Highlands before running on towards the floor of the vast Hellas basin.

Mars may have supported life: Martian underground could contain clues to life's origins

Sun, 20 Jan 2013 14:58:58 EST

Minerals found in the subsurface of Mars, a zone of more than three miles below ground, make for the strongest evidence yet that the red planet may have supported life, according to new research.

ChemCam follows the 'Yellowknife Road' to Martian wet area

Wed, 16 Jan 2013 10:36:36 EST

Researchers have tracked a trail of minerals that point to the prior presence of water at the Curiosity rover site on Mars.

NASA Mars rover preparing to drill into first Martian rock

Wed, 16 Jan 2013 09:23:23 EST

NASA's Mars rover Curiosity is driving toward a flat rock with pale veins that may hold clues to a wet history on the Red Planet. If the rock meets rover engineers' approval when Curiosity rolls up to it in coming days, it will become the first to be drilled for a sample during the Mars Science Laboratory mission.

Saline hiding places for bacteria in Río Tinto could be like those on Mars

Fri, 11 Jan 2013 09:24:24 EST

Researchers have identified microorganisms that live inside salt deposits in the acidic and ferrous environment of the Tinto River in Huelva, Spain. The extreme conditions of these microniches appear to be similar to those of the salt deposits on Mars and Jupiter's moon, Europa. This possibility should be borne in mind on missions operating in these places.

Researchers develop acrobatic space rovers to explore moons and asteroids

Tue, 08 Jan 2013 09:49:49 EST

Researchers have designed a robotic platform that could take space exploration to new heights. The mission proposed for the platform involves a mother spacecraft deploying one or several spiked, roughly spherical rovers to the Martian moon Phobos. Measuring about half a meter wide, each rover would hop, tumble and bound across the cratered, lopsided moon, relaying information about its origins, as well as its soil and other surface materials.

NASA's Curiosity Mars rover makes first use of its brush

Mon, 07 Jan 2013 18:24:24 EST

NASA's Mars rover Curiosity has completed first-time use of a brush it carries to sweep dust off rocks. Nearing the end of a series of first-time uses of the rover's tools, the mission has cleared dust away from a targeted patch on a flat Martian rock using the Dust Removal Tool.

Mars rover Curiosity explores 'Yellowknife Bay'

Sat, 05 Jan 2013 00:19:19 EST

After imaging during the holidays, NASA's Mars rover Curiosity resumed driving Jan. 3 and pulled within arm's reach of a sinuous rock feature called "Snake River." Snake River is a thin curving line of darker rock cutting through flatter rocks and jutting above sand. Curiosity's science team plans to get a closer look at it before proceeding to other nearby rocks.

First meteorite linked to Martian crust

Thu, 03 Jan 2013 14:32:32 EST

After extensive analyses, researchers have identified a new class of Martian meteorite that likely originated from Mars's crust. It is also the only meteoritic sample dated to 2.1 billion years ago, the early era of the most recent geologic epoch on Mars. The meteorite contains an order of magnitude more water than any other Martian meteorite.

Clays on Mars: More plentiful than expected

Thu, 20 Dec 2012 14:42:42 EST

A new study indicates that clay minerals, rocks that usually form when water is present for long periods of time, cover a larger portion of Mars than previously thought.

Mars Curiosity rover explores 'Yellowknife Bay'

Wed, 19 Dec 2012 11:26:26 EST

The NASA Mars rover Curiosity this week is driving within a shallow depression called "Yellowknife Bay," providing information to help researchers choose a rock to drill.

Mars rover Curiosity can be positioned with eclipses

Thu, 13 Dec 2012 11:17:17 EST

Observations from NASA's Mars rover Curiosity when Mars' moon Phobos crosses in front of the sun, like in September, help us to understand exactly where the rover is on the red planet. Researchers in Spain have developed a method for achieving precisely this.

Mars rover self-portrait shoot uses arm choreography

Tue, 11 Dec 2012 18:57:57 EST

The robotic arm on NASA's Mars rover Curiosity held the rover's Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI) camera in more than 50 positions in one day to generate a single scene combining all the images, creating a high-resolution, full-color portrait of the rover itself.

Mars rover Curiosity nearing Yellowknife Bay

Tue, 11 Dec 2012 18:55:55 EST

The NASA Mars rover Curiosity drove 63 feet (19 meters) northeastward early Monday, Dec. 10, approaching a step down into a slightly lower area called "Yellowknife Bay," where researchers intend to choose a rock to drill. The drive was Curiosity's fourth consecutive driving day since leaving a site near an outcrop called "Point Lake," where it arrived last month. These drives totaled 260 feet (79 meters) and brought the mission's total odometry to 0.37 mile (598 meters).

What is creating gullies on giant asteroid Vesta?

Thu, 06 Dec 2012 16:08:08 EST

In a preliminary analysis of images from NASA's Dawn mission, scientists have spotted intriguing gullies that sculpt the walls of geologically young craters on the giant asteroid Vesta. The scientists have found narrow channels of two types in images from Dawn's framing camera -- some that look like straight chutes and others that carve more sinuous trails and end in lobe-shaped deposits. The mystery, however, is what is creating them?

Orbiter spies where rover's cruise stage hit Mars

Thu, 06 Dec 2012 10:40:40 EST

During the 10 minutes before the NASA Mars Science Laboratory spacecraft entered the Martian atmosphere to deliver the rover Curiosity to the surface, the spacecraft shed its cruise stage, which had performed vital functions during the flight from Earth, and then jettisoned two 165-pound (75-kilogram) blocks of tungsten to gain aerodynamic lift.

New NASA Mars rover to launch in 2020

Tue, 04 Dec 2012 18:44:44 EST

Building on the success of Curiosity's Red Planet landing, NASA has announced plans for a robust multi-year Mars program, including a new robotic science rover set to launch in 2020. This announcement affirms the agency's commitment to a bold exploration program that meets our nation's scientific and human exploration objectives.

NASA Opportunity rover finishes walkabout on Mars crater rim

Tue, 04 Dec 2012 14:29:29 EST

The latest work assignment for NASA's long-lived Mars rover Opportunity is a further examination of an area where the robot just completed a walkabout.

Curiosity shakes, bakes, and tastes Mars with SAM

Mon, 03 Dec 2012 14:59:59 EST

NASA's Curiosity rover analyzed its first solid sample of Mars in November with a variety of instruments, including the Sample Analysis at Mars instrument suite.