Astronomers have long attributed Mars’s global orange-brown color to oxidized iron
September 4th, 2003
Downpours on Ancient Mars? Sky and Telescope
The red planet does not lack for water in its frozen state. Great swaths of the Martian surface appear to be underlain by ice-impregnated dirt, and a fresh look at data returned by NASA’s 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft concludes that the planet may have stashed even greater amounts of ice than first thought. According to investigator William V. Boynton (University of Arizona), subsurface regions surrounding Mars’s polar caps may contain at least 70 percent ice by volume
March 19th, 2003
Radiation Dangers for Mars Astronauts Downgraded Sky and Telescope
NASA’s Mars Odyssey spacecraft has given scientists their first detailed look at the radiation hazards facing future Martian explorers, and the results may not be as dire as portrayed in some recent news stories. Results from Odyssey’s Mars Radiation Environment Experiment (MARIE) were presented at the 34th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference in Houston, Texas.
March 17th, 2002
No Knockouts in Martian Meteorite Showdown Sky and Telescope
All last week, attendees at the 33rd annual Lunar and Planetary Science Conference in Houston, Texas, looked forward to one of the meeting’s final sessions, whose main attraction was the controversial 4