A study suggests Mars had a cold, subarctic climate similar to Newfoundland, based on soil analyses of Gale Crater. The finding offers new insights into the preservation of amorphous materials and Mars’ potential to support life. (Artist’s concept.) Credit: SciTechDaily.com A new study has found important clues in the Red Planet’s soil. Recent research examining … Read more
The rim and floor of Gale Crater, seen from NASA’s Curiosity Rover. Credit: NASA The question of whether life once existed on Mars has captivated the imaginations of scientists and the public for decades. Central to the discovery is understanding the past climate of Earth’s neighbor: Was the planet warm and wet, with seas and … Read more
The inaugural CHAPEA (Crew Health and Performance Exploration Analog) crew is “back on Earth” after leaving their simulated Martian habitat at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston on July 6. The first of three simulated missions, CHAPEA Mission 1, was designed to help scientists, engineers and mission planners better understand how living on another world … Read more
For more than a year, four crew members of NASA’s Mars Dune Alpha communicated, ate, slept and acted out a simulated experience as if they were stationed more than 200 million miles away on the Red Planet. The mission, which marked the first completed portion of three planned programs of NASA’s Crew Health and Performance … Read more
39 Scientists have calculated the speed of meteoroid impacts on Mars using seismic measurements taken by NASA’s retired InSight lander during its mission. Two companion studies published June 28 independently estimate significantly higher speeds than previously inferred from images taken by spacecraft orbiting the Red Planet. The studies show that seismic measurements promise to be … Read more
The crew of a NASA mission to Mars left the spacecraft after a year-long journey, never leaving Earth. The four volunteer crew members spent more than 12 months in NASA’s first simulated Mars environment at the Johnson Space Center in Houston. They left the artificial alien environment around 5 p.m. Saturday. Kelly Haston, Anca Selariu, … Read more
A recent discovery on Mars has shed light on the possible origins of life on Earth. Researchers have found that organic material present in the sediment of ancient Martian lakebeds points to widespread carbon chemistry on the Red Planet. This discovery provides valuable insights into how the ingredients for life arrived on our planet billions … Read more
by Brian PD Hannon In this image taken from NASA video, Kelly Haston, a crew member of the first CHAPEA mission, speaks before other members, from left, Ross Brockwell, Nathan Jones and Anca Selariu, Saturday, July 6, 2024, at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. The crew of a NASA mission to Mars emerged … Read more
Four volunteer crew members who spent more than 12 months in NASA’s first simulated Mars environment at the Johnson Space Center in Houston have emerged from the artificial alien environment By means of BRIAN PD HANNON Associated Press July 7, 2024, 6:55 AM ET • 3 min read The crew of a NASA mission to … Read more
While none of the interplanetary missions have found traces of life on Mars, both the Viking and China’s Zhurong rovers have discovered astonishing features of the Red Planet that could provide insight into its history and evolution. When Zhurong, China’s first-ever Mars landing mission, orbited the Red Planet for a year, it saw something surreal … Read more