Remnants of a Glacier Found Near Martian Equator
Scientists have spotted a relict glacier on Mars, near the equator—far from the parts of the planet where water ice is known to exist today. While this leftover glacial structure…
How Europe’s ExoMars rover plans to get to Mars without Russia
Space missions get scuppered for all kinds of reasons, from engineering problems to budget issues. But the ExoMars mission, Europe and Russia’s joint plan to send a rover to Mars,…
How much fuel is left in this 20-year-old Mars orbiter?
Designing, building, and launching a spacecraft is hugely expensive. That’s why NASA missions to Mars are designed with the hope that they’ll last as long as possible — like the…
See the Ingenuity helicopter’s stunning image of a Martian sunset
The tiny helicopter Ingenuity is continuing to explore Mars, gearing up for its 47th flight. That’s a pretty stunning achievement, considering it was originally designed to perform just five flights…
Rovers could explore lava tubes on Mars or the moon using breadcrumbs
When looking for safe places for astronauts to stay when they venture away from Earth to new moons and planets, one strong contender is that they should stay underground. Being…
It’s been 2 years since the Perseverance rover landed on Mars
Today marks the second anniversary since the rover Perseverance landed on the surface of Mars on February 18, 2021. The nail-biting descent and landing process was followed around the world,…
Perseverance Mars rover shares detailed panorama of sample depot
NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover has been busy creating what the space agency recently said was “humanity’s first sample depot on another planet.” The depot, which is essentially a flat patch of…
Mars Curiosity rover finds evidence of water where it was expected to be dry
The key to understanding whether Mars was ever habitable is water. For life as we know it to thrive, liquid water needs to be present — and we know that…
Curiosity Rover Spots Clear Evidence of Ancient Water on Mars
NASA’s Curiosity rover recently spotted some of the most compelling evidence yet of ancient water on Mars, in the form of rippled rocks shaped by waves. The ripples formed billions…
Ingenuity helicopter helps researchers learn about dust on Mars
One of the big challenges of Mars exploration is something very small: dust. Fine dust covers much of the martian surface, and high winds and low gravity mean the dust…