The possibility of an asteroid walloping the planet Mars this month is whetting the appetites of Earth-bound scientists, even as they further refine the space rock's trajectory. The space rock in question — Asteroid 2007 WD5 — is similar in size to the object that carved Meteor Crater into northern Arizona some 50,000 years ago and is approaching Mars at about 30,000 miles per hour (48... read full post picked by AutumnLotus 9 months ago

The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter has just begun its science mission, and one of the first targets is Victoria Crater, where the rover Opportunity has just arrived after nearly 1000 sols on Mars.

The photos, using the largest interplanetary telescope ever lofted, are truly amazing.

See comments for links to original imagery. picked by Fanatic 2 years ago

The chances of an asteroid smacking into Mars this month are slipping away as astronomers continue to refine its course toward the red planet.

The space rock, an asteroid called 2007 WD5, is now expected to miss Mars by about 18,641 miles (30,000 km). picked by AutumnLotus 9 months ago

The asteroid presumed to have wiped out the dinosaurs struck the Earth with such force that carbon deep in the Earth's crust liquefied, rocketed skyward, and formed tiny airborne beads that blanketed the planet, say scientists from the U.S., U.K., Italy, and New Zealand in this month's Geology. picked by AutumnLotus 5 months ago

Days before its tenth anniversary in Mars orbit, the Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft ran into problems. They got a weak signal three days later, and nothing since. Plans are to take a photograph of it with another Mars Orbiter today or tomorrow. picked by Fanatic 2 years ago

The most productive and longest-lived mission to Mars has likely ended, NASA says. For nearly ten years, the orbiter mapped the surface of Mars, and it played a big role in selecting the landing sites for the successful Mars Rover missions. A problem with a solar panel joint led to its demise. picked by Fanatic 2 years ago

Sorry folks, I was looking forward to it too, but NASA jumped the gun.

Last update from Autumnlotus here. picked by muppetmaker 9 months ago

A newly discovered hunk of space rock has a 1 in 75 chance of slamming into the Red Planet on Jan. 30 picked by maxriter 10 months ago

"Another soil sample of the exact same composition as the last one..." "Still no water..." It's out of its mind with boredom. Another wonderful satirical story from The Onion. picked by Fanatic 2 years ago

The longstanding mystery of how oceans once formed on Mars could be solved by fire and brimstone. Specifically, researchers now suggest that ancient volcanoes could have released brimstone — now more commonly known as sulfur — that warmed up the red planet enough for liquid water oceans in the early days of Mars. These findings might also shed insight on the young Earth, including the ... read full post picked by AutumnLotus 10 months ago

What it would be like to fly over Mars? Combining terrain data from the orbiting Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter spacecraft with information about the robotic Spirit rover currently rolling across Mars has resulted in a digital movie that shows what a flight over the Columbia Hills might look like. picked by sandossu 5 months ago

A probable active glacier has been identified for the first time on Mars. The icy feature has been spotted in images from the European Space Agency's (Esa) Mars Express spacecraft. Ancient glaciers, many millions of years old, have been seen before on the Red Planet, but this one may only be several thousand years old. picked by AutumnLotus 10 months ago

Mars was covered in an ocean of molten rock for about 100 million years after the planet formed, researchers found. The formation of the solar system can be dated quite accurately to 4,567,000,000 years ago. Mars' metallic core formed a few million years after that. Previous estimates for how long the surface remained molten ranged from thousands of years to several hundred million years picked by AutumnLotus 11 months ago

These two images taken by the Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars (CRISM) show Mars' two small moons, Phobos and Deimos, as seen from the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter's low orbit around Mars. Both images were taken while the spacecraft was over Mars' night side, with the spacecraft turned off its normal nadir-viewing geometry to glimpse the moons. picked by AutumnLotus 11 months ago

NASA investigative panel determined the probable cause of the mysterious disappearance of the Mars Global Surveyor was battery failure. picked by AutumnLotus 1 year ago

NASA has finally stated that the Mars Global Surveyor was dead due to a faulty solar panel. picked by groggie 2 years ago

NASA scientists have discovered what might form some of the weirdest landscapes on Mars, winding channels carved into the Martian surface that scientists have dubbed "spiders," "lace" and "lizard skin." The unusual landscape features form in an area of Mars' south pole called cryptic terrain because it once defied explanation. More pictures picked by AutumnLotus 10 months ago

A lake that might once have been habitable may have filled a crater for a long time on early Mars, new spacecraft images reveal. NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter captured the images that suggest the debris-strewn Holden Crater once held a calm body of water that could have harbored life. picked by AutumnLotus 7 months ago

The radar system on the European Space Agency's Mars Express orbiter has uncovered new details about some of the most mysterious deposits on Mars: the Medusae Fossae Formation. It has provided the first direct measurement of the depth and electrical properties of these materials, providing new clues about their origin. picked by AutumnLotus 11 months ago

The food company that makes Mars Bars has been forced to change its chocolate recipes and ditch the use of animal products after a backlash from vegetarians. picked by AutumnLotus 1 year ago