Students and faculty from five North Dakota colleges will unveil a prototype Mars spacesuit this weekend in the Badlands. Students from the University of North Dakota, North Dakota State, Dickinson State, the state College of Science in Wahpeton and Turtle Mountain Community College in Belcourt designed the experimental suit with a $100,000 NASA grant.
April 12th, 2006
Mars Rover Spirit Heads to Alternate Home
The Mars rover Spirit, hampered by a broken wheel, has failed to reach its destination and will spend the Martian winter at an alternate site, scientists said Monday.
The solar-powered Spirit was rolling toward the north-facing side of McCool Hill last month to recharge on some sunshine during the winter when its right front wheel stopped working.
April 1st, 2006
Mars orbiter ready to skim atmosphere
The most advanced spacecraft to reach Mars has begun adjusting its orbit so that it can study the planet in detail this fall, scientists said Friday.
The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter fired its thrusters for nearly a minute Thursday to lower its orbit, a step toward the tricky aerobraking process during which the spacecraft will repeatedly dip into the upper atmosphere starting next week.
March 14th, 2006
Google launches new look at Mars
First there was Google Earth, then Google Moon.
On Monday, Google Inc. expanded its galactic reach by launching Google Mars, a Web browser-based mapping tool that gives users an up-close, interactive view of the Red Planet with the click of a mouse.
The Martian maps were made from images taken by NASA’s orbiting Mars Odyssey and Mars Global Surveyor.
October 27th, 2005
Mars to Swing Close to Earth This Weekend
Mars is ready for another close-up. For the second time in nearly 60,000 years, the Red Planet will swing unusually close to Earth this weekend, appearing as a yellow twinkle in the night sky. Mars’ latest rendezvous will not match its record-breaking approach to Earth in 2003, when it hovered from 35 million miles away. But more skygazers this time around can glimpse the fourth rock from the sun because it will glow above the horizon.
July 25th, 2005
NASA Urged to Keep Microbes From Mars
While Earth germs may not kill attacking Martians as they did in “War of the Worlds,” a new study is calling on NASA to prevent contamination of Mars with microbes from our planet. NASA is planning a return to the Moon and eventually to send manned spacecraft to Mars, and the National Research Council warned Monday that if life forms from Earth were able to survive the trip they could contaminate the Red Planet.
July 23rd, 2005
House Endorses NASA Missions to Moon, Mars
The House Friday overwhelmingly endorsed President Bush’s vision to send man back to the moon and eventually on to Mars as it passed a bill to set NASA policy for the next two years. The bill passed 383-15 after a collegial debate in which lawmakers stressed their commitment to not just Bush’s ambitious space exploration plans but also to traditional NASA programs such as science and aeronautics.
October 22nd, 2004
Shatner Wants to Boldly Go on Space Flight
“Star Trek” star William Shatner and Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Dave Navarro are among thousands of people who want to fly on Virgin’s proposed commercial space flights, company chief Richard Branson said Friday. Branson said more than 7,000 people had registered their willingness to pay the $210,000 fare for the service, which promises to send passengers 70 miles above the Earth.
October 16th, 2004
A Lone Dreamer Fuels A New Space Age
Peter Diamandis wasn’t thinking about history as he stood in the Mojave Desert and watched a small, shuttlecock-shaped craft glide back to Earth, having nudged the edge of space. He just thought it looked beautiful. It was the next day, after the thousands of cheering spectators had disappeared, after the jubilant speeches had dried up along with the champagne, as Diamandis was driving his father back to Los Angeles, that euphoria – and relief – swept over him.
September 15th, 2004
Flashlight Takes Batteries of Any Size
Anyone who has cursed when their flashlight goes dead may have something new to beam about