Scientists may have unraveled the mystery of how clouds form over Mars and it involves obliterated meteors. The study focused on the clouds that form in Mars' middle atmosphere starting around 18 miles above the planet's surface. According to the new study, these clouds may be the result of meteors that slammed into the Martian atmosphere, resulting in a dusty, icy mess.
The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) has been circling the Red Planet and looking for interesting things for over a decade now. One of the most recent discoveries that the MRO has made is a new crater formed by a meteorite impact on the surface of Mars. The image below was snapped on the surface of Mars using the MRO HiRISE camera in April and posted on June 6.
Mars is a vastly different environment from the Earth, and according to the laws of physics, it would be nearly impossible to fly on Mars. NASA says that flying on Mars with a vehicle that is heavier than air is very hard to do. The space agency wants to send a helicopter to Mars with the Mars 2020 mission that will be used as a technology demonstrator.
NASA and its crews are hard at work on the Mars 2020 rover getting it ready for its launch next year. NASA has announced that the cameras have been installed in the remote sensing mast (RSM) that carries optics and instrumentation. The RSM and the twin cameras installed inside it will be installed onto the deck of the rover on June 3, 2019.
NASA has announced that its Curiosity rover confirmed the presence of clay in the Martian region it is exploring. That area, which is called the 'clay-bearing unit,' is the rover's latest point of interest due to what researchers say were signs hinting at the presence of clay minerals. The 'clay cache,' as NASA calls it, was confirmed in a pair of drilling sites called Kilmarie and Aberlady.
The NASA official meant to lead the 2024 Moon mission has unexpectedly quit the agency, after Congress slapped down plans to create a new mission directorate. Mark Sirangelo only joined the agency a month and a half ago, but was widely expected to take the helm at a new group focused on NASA's return to the Moon, the mission that will help pave the way for a manned mission to Mars.
NASA may not be ready to take passengers to Mars, but you'll be able to put your name down in the meantime - quite literally. The space agency is offering "frequent flyer" points along with souvenir boarding passes to members of the public for a trip to Mars, as part of its push around the Mars 2020 mission.
NASA has revealed the spacecraft that the new Mars rover will use to travel to the red planet in 2020, as the US space agency continues to pave the way for an eventual manned mission. Mars 2020 will see a brand new rover set loose on the surface of the planet, complete with a toolkit of all-new instrumentation to do research.
NASA has had a spacecraft orbiting Mars called the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter or MRO since March 10, 2006. The spacecraft has been circling the planet at about 2 miles per second and collecting daily science data about the planet's surface and atmosphere. NASA has announced a milestone for the MRO that was reached this week.
Lockheed Martin has announced that the heat shield for NASA's Mars 2020 rover has passed a critical testing milestone. The component was exposed to "flight-like thermal conditions," according to the company, which confirmed its "physical integrity." The heat shield will be used to help protect the rover as it enters the Martian atmosphere.
NASA has shared some images of sunrise and sunset on Mars that were snapped by the InSight lander. The spacecraft captured the images on April 24 and April 25 at the 145-day mark of the rover's mission. NASA says that the images were taken at 5:30 a.m. and then at 6:30 p.m. in local Mars time. A camera under the deck of the lander also caught some clouds drifting across the Marian sky.
NASA's InSight lander may have detected its first quake on Mars, the space agency has announced. The 'marsquake' was recorded as a faint seismic signal by the rover's Seismic Experiment for Interior Structure (SEIS) instrument on April 6. This is the first time humans have recorded quaking that originates from within the planet rather than from something on the surface.