Mars
Opportunity Rover Captures Her First Dust Devil on Mars
This is the first dust devil that NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity has observed in the rover's six-and-a-half years on Mars. Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Cornell University/Texas A&M
Extreme Close-Up of the Face on Mars
The 'face' on Mars, a popular landform in Cydonia Region on Mars. Credit: NASA/JPL/University of Arizona
Dark Dust Trails Form When Whirlwinds Suck Sand Grains Clean
The ephemeral dark trails left in desert sand by dust devils are produced when the whirlwinds blow tiny particles of lighter-colored silt and dust off larger sand grains, a new study shows. Even removing a layer of dust and silt only a few micrometers thick can produce a dark trail visible with satellites, recent field studies suggest.
Space Food Turns Gross Within a Year
CHICAGO — Most people find the palatability of in-flight entrees an oxymoron. But even frequent fliers seldom encounter more than a few such meals per week. Astronauts, in contrast, may have to survive months in orbit dining on a really limited menu of processed foods and reconstituted beverages served from oh-so-glamorous plastic pouches. Luckily, even the International Space Station can restock its pantry several times a year because these foods are relatively perishable. Which explains the problem NASA faces in planning for really long missions — like a trip to Mars.
Mars Rover 'Curiosity' Grows Up, Rolls for the First Time
It's been a busy few days for the Mars Science Laboratory after NASA engineers and technicians attach the rover's 'eyes' and take it for a test drive.
Should Environmental Protection Extend to the Planets?
Do we have an ethical duty to respect and preserve the natural environments of neighboring planets and their moons?
Curiosity Rover Takes First Test Drive
Even though there were no wheelies or skid marks, it was an exciting day for the teams working on the next Mars rover. The Mars Curiosity rover (or the Mars Science Laboratory) took its first short drive in the JPL clean room where it is being built. This video was captured from live broadcast on July 23, 2010. Cheers and commentary provided by mission team members who watched the event from a viewing gallery above the clean room floor. In this clip the rover drives backward for the first time.
NASA's Mars Odyssey Orbiter Suffers Glitch
The veteran Mars Odyssey satellite has switched itself into "safe mode" after detecting a problem with an electronic encoder responsible for controlling the orientation of the spacecraft's solar array.
Best Reality TV Ever: Camera Will Take Video of Next Mars Rover Landing
This graphic portrays the sequence of key events in August 2012 from the time the NASA's Mars Science Laboratory spacecraft, with its rover Curiosity, enters the Martian atmosphere to a moment after it touches down on the surface. Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Malin Space Science Systems
Subterranean Living May Await Moon and Mars Colonists
Subsurface lava tubes could provide much-needed shelter for lunar and Mars colonists.
