NASA’s Spirit Mars rover has wrapped up exploration of a baffling feature called “Home Plate” but now faces the onset of martian winter while dealing with dropping power levels and fighting a balky right front wheel.
“Our current focus is to drive like hell … and try to get [Spirit] to safe winter havens before the power situation gets really bad,” said Steve Squyres, lead Mars Rover Exploration scientist at Cornell University.
March 19th, 2006
Spirit Mars Rover In ‘Drive Or Die’ Situation
January 18th, 2006
Mars Science Laboratory: Big Wheels on A Red Planet
Make way Spirit and Opportunity
December 5th, 2005
NASA Astronaut to Help Build Martian Bedroom
U.S. Navy Capt. Michael Foreman, set to fly to the International Space Station (ISS) aboard NASA
November 21st, 2005
Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Halfway to Destination
A NASA spacecraft is halfway toward Mars where it is expected to collect more data on the Red Planet than all previous Martian explorations combined. The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter successfully fired its six engines for 20 seconds last week to adjust its flight path in anticipation of a March arrival. It will fine-tune its trajectory two more times before it enters orbit around Mars, said Allen Halsell, deputy navigation chief at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena. Once in orbit, the two-ton spacecraft will join a trio of probes currently flying around Mars.
November 15th, 2005
Water Could Stay Liquid on Mars
From the shoreline of an ancient salty sea to the bottoms of deep, flood-carved channels, Mars is scarred with geological signs that indicate liquid water once flowed on the its surface.
These findings, combined with the discovery of tiny, spherical “blueberries” and the detection of water ice in the planet’s polar ice caps, have lead scientists to scour the planet for liquid water in recent years.
The elusive quarry has remained hidden, possibly because it may not exist for more than a fleeting second. Due to Mars’ low temperatures and extremely low atmospheric pressure
October 28th, 2005
Major Dust Storm on Mars Visible with Backyard Telescopes
A major dust storm has just broken out on Mars and the event will be visible this weekend with good-sized backyard telescopes. The timing is incredible. Amateur skywatchers around the world are planning to gaze at Mars Saturday night because it will be closer to Earth than anytime until the year 2018. The dust storm was no more than a small bright dot Thursday yet it was large and obvious Friday, as seen in images taken by Clay Sherrod at the Arkansas Sky Observatories.
October 2nd, 2005
NASA Grant Energizes Student-Developed Mars Project
Future explorers of Mars got a literal leg up thanks to a NASA research grant provided to a student space project. The Mars Gravity Biosatellite Program announced September 21 that they have received a $200,000 NASA advanced projects development grant. The funding will support development of a full payload engineering model, as well as make possible a number of tasks that push the project nearer to a real-time liftoff. The Mars Gravity Biosatellite Program is the first ever mission to study the effects of Martian gravity on mammals, a fundamental step moving humans out beyond low Earth orbit to the red planet.
September 19th, 2005
Moon-to-Mars Plans Emerge: New Agenda or Apollo Retread?
NASA is set to unveil today details of its new space architecture, a “how-to” response to President George W. Bush’s Moon, Mars and beyond vision speech made in January 2004. Bush called for putting astronauts back on the Moon by 2020 and sending humans to Mars thereafter. Last week SPACE.com and Space News reported that NASA will announce today plans to send four astronauts to Moon in 2018. On the list: A re-usable vehicle that’s safer than the shuttle; technology for extracting fuel from the destination; and an airbag landing upon return to Earth. Plans were also detailed for sending robotic scouts first.