NASA is planning to bring Martian rocks back to Earth, but they haven't finalized their plan yet. Instead, they're leaving the big decision up to the incoming President, Donald J. Trump. The mission, called Mars Sample Return, was initially estimated to cost up to $11 billion, but NASA has found ways to reduce the size and weight, bringing the cost down to less than ...
Imagine you're a detective solving a mystery on Mars. You don't want to be limited to a few snapshots or vague descriptions, right? That's why scientists want to bring samples from Mars back to Earth for deeper analysis. Sure, rovers like Perseverance are doing an awesome job snapping photos and zapping rocks with lasers. But Earth's labs have superpowers that rovers...
NASA has appointed Carlos Garcia-Galan, a seasoned space professional, as the deputy manager of its Gateway program. This initiative is crucial for the Artemis mission, aiming to return humans to the moon and eventually set a path for Mars exploration. Garcia-Galan, who hails from Spain, brings a whopping 27 years of experience in human spaceflight to the table. He's...
The Perseverance rover, NASA's wheeled explorer on Mars, has finally reached the rim of the Jezero Crater after a tough climb. On December 10, it paused at "Lookout Hill" to snap some amazing photos. These pictures show a mix of hills, ridges, scattered rocks, and hazy skies. The rover also looked back at its own wheel tracks, marking the end of its adventures inside...
NASA has a fresh plan for exploring Mars. They want to send smaller missions more often, with a focus on key scientific questions. These missions could cost between $100 million and $300 million each. The idea is to gather important information before humans ever set foot on the planet. The plan has three main goals. The first is to find out if there's ever been lif...
Well, that's quite a journey! The Perseverance rover has finally climbed out of the Martian crater it called home for nearly four years. Landing on Mars in 2021, this rover has been on a mission to find evidence that Mars could have supported life. It's been exploring Jezero Crater, which was once a lake over 3. 9 billion years ago. The crater even had a river delta ...
Imagine embarking on a journey to uncover if Mars, the rusty neighbor of Earth, could be home to life. The Tianwen-3 mission is gearing up to do just that, with a focus on finding 'life signatures. ' But what does that mean? Let's break it down. The mission's goal is to collect samples from Mars and check if they contain any signs of life, or what scientists call 'b...
NASA's Perseverance rover, which landed in Mars' Jezero Crater in 2021, recently captured an amazing view of the crater from its western slope. After exploring the crater floor, the rover began climbing the rim. On September 27, it snapped 44 photos, which were combined to create a mosaic showing familiar landmarks. The image reveals the challenges ahead, like a stee...
Peter Theisinger, the mastermind behind NASA's Mars rover missions, was never your typical engineer. Despite his lack of mechanical skills, he oversaw projects that successfully landed three robotic contraptions on the Martian surface, collecting crucial evidence of ancient hot springs and microbial life. But what makes his story even more remarkable is the gamble he...
Chinese astronauts are on a mission to uncover whether some of Earth's oldest lifeforms can survive in the harsh conditions of space. They're studying anaerobic archaea, single-celled organisms that have been around since the dawn of time, aboard the Tiangong space station. These hardy microbes eat hydrogen and carbon dioxide, producing methane as a byproduct. But ...