After last year’s loss of two red planet explorers, NASA on Thursday unveiled an ambitious plan to send eight or more probes to Mars over the next two decades to search for evidence of water or life. The fleet of orbiters, landers and rovers would employ new technologies that expand their scientific capabilities, save fuel and improve their chances of surviving on the red planet, NASA’s chief Mars mission managers said Thursday.
October 26th, 2000
Nasa Outlines Mars Exploration Program For Next Two Decades
By means of orbiters, landers, rovers and sample return missions, NASA’s revamped campaign to explore Mars, announced today, is poised to unravel the secrets of the Red Planet ‘s past environments, the history of its rocks, the many roles of water and, possibly, evidence of past or present life. Six major missions are planned in this decade as part of a scientific tapestry that will weave a tale of new understanding of Earth’s sometimes enigmatic and surprising neighbor.
October 25th, 2000
NASA to announce 2005 mission to Mars
Still smarting over the loss of two spacecraft last year, NASA scientists are ready to unveil a much more cautious campaign to deploy robots on the surface of Mars over the next 15 years, CNN has learned. The space agency’s Mars brain trust on Thursday will announce a 2005 mission in which an orbiter will map the Martian surface with an eagle-eyed camera. In 2007, a “major lander and rover” mission will follow.
October 24th, 2000
France to Join U.S. In Mars Exploration Mission
France’s Research Ministry said on Tuesday it had signed a “statement of intent” with the U.S. space agency NASA for joint cooperation in its Mars exploration program. A ministry statement said details of the agreement with NASA would be made public Thursday. Industry officials told Reuters the agreement would probably name the European Ariane 5 rocket as the launch vehicle for a Mars mission in late 2003 or early 2004 to dig up Martian soil to test for organic or other life-related chemical compounds.
October 11th, 2000
NASA Warms to Living on Mars Wired News
It took billions of years before Earth could support life, but scientists think they can create the right conditions on Mars in less than a century by pumping the atmosphere full of greenhouse gases. About 150 physicists and biologists gathered at the NASA Ames Research Center on Tuesday to discuss how the Red Planet might become a livable place.
October 3rd, 2000
Student Scientists from Around the World Win Spots on Red Rover Goes to Mars Team Planetary Society
Nine Student Scientists have been selected from over ten thousand entrants worldwide to serve on the Planetary Society’s Red Rover Goes to Mars Training Mission. Ranging in age from 10 to 15, the winners — four girls, five boys — will select a possible landing site on Mars for some future sample return mission. The nine winners hail from across the globe — Brazil, Hungary, India, Poland, Taiwan, and the United States. The winners are Zsofia Bodo, 15, Hungary; Kimberly DeRose, 13, USA; Bernadett Gaal, 14, Hungary; Shaleen Harlalka, 15, India; Iuri Jasper, 12, Brazil; Hsin-Liu Kao, 11, Taiwan; Tanmay Khirwadkar, 13, India; Wojciech Lukasik, 10, Poland; and Vikas Sarangadhara, 10, India.
October 3rd, 2000
Varied Protesters Come For Debate
Thousands of protesters gathered before the presidential debate Tuesday, championing issues from campaign finance reform to the right of third-party candidates to be included in the matchup between Democrat Al Gore and Republican George W. Bush. Demonstrators from all points on the political spectrum were represented. Anti-death penalty advocates mingled with people protesting China’s treatment of the Falun Gong spiritual movement. People calling for manned missions to Mars were near a group of Palestinians decrying Israeli military action.
October 2nd, 2000
Roving the red planet
Two rovers from the United States and a lander from Europe will descend on Mars within a month of each other to probe for signs of life and seek liquid water. The independent missions, which are slated for different locations on the red planet, are scheduled for late 2003 and early 2004. The European Space Agency will send Beagle 2, a stationary lander, to examine rocks, dig into the soil, evaluate the air and look for organic matter and other signs of past and present life. Beagle 2 will hitch a ride to the planet with the Mars Express orbiter. Unlike ESA’s lander, NASA’s rovers will be mobile. NASA will launch the two golf cart-sized rovers separately in 2003. Each will carry five instruments to analyze rock and soil samples on the surface, traveling up to 110 yards (100 meters) a day, as it looks for evidence of liquid water.
September 20th, 2000
NASA’s Mars Roadmap Looms On the Horizon
NASA is just weeks away from unveiling its revamped 20-year vision for exploring Mars, a document that promises to teach new dogs old tricks.