Mars Features Resemble Hydrothermal Springs Posted: 7 months ago by AutumnLotus
There's a growing buzz in the astrobiology community that ancient hydrothermal springs may have been spotted on Mars. Thanks to the eagle-eyed work of Carlton Allen and Dorothy Oehler of NASA's Johnson Space Center, "spring-like" mounds have been found in Vernal Crater in Arabia Terra on the red planet.
Comments: 1 Score: [-] 301 [+].
Wow! Newest Mars probe photographs rover Opportunity from Mars orbit Posted: 2 years ago by Fanatic
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.
Comments: 4 Score: [-] 10 [+].
Once-Habitable Lake Found on Mars Posted: 9 months ago by AutumnLotus
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.
Comments: 3 Score: [-] 293 [+].
Hydrothermal Vents on Mars Could Have Supported Life Posted: 6 months ago by AutumnLotus
Scientists have found signs that water may once have gurgled up through the Martian soil in hydrothermal vents similar to those in Yellowstone National Park.
Comments: 0 Score: [-] 195 [+].
'Active glacier found' on Mars Posted: 11 months ago by AutumnLotus
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.
Comments: 2 Score: [-] 200 [+].
Mars rover to descend into gaping crater *VIDEO* Posted: 1 year ago by DrNothing
The crater is about 60 metres deep, allowing a rover to "dig" deeper into the ground – and into Mars's past – than ever before. "We're going to see more of the history of Mars here than we've seen anywhere else," Squyres says.
Comments: 0 Score: [-] 26 [+].
Mars Global Surveyor: RIP Posted: 2 years ago by Fanatic
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.
Comments: 0 Score: [-] 6 [+].
Mars Global Surveyor still MIA Posted: 2 years ago by Fanatic
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.
Comments: 1 Score: [-] 6 [+].
The molten past of Mars Posted: 12 months ago by AutumnLotus
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
Comments: 0 Score: [-] 127 [+].
Fire and Brimstone Helped Form Mars Oceans Posted: 11 months ago by AutumnLotus
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 origins of life.
Comments: 0 Score: [-] 208 [+].
Strange Shapes Seen on Mars Posted: 11 months ago by AutumnLotus
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
Comments: 1 Score: [-] 177 [+].
Mars Rover Beginning To Hate Mars Posted: 2 years ago by Fanatic
"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.
Comments: 0 Score: [-] 45 [+].
Scientists discover signs of ancient life on Mars Posted: 8 months ago by AutumnLotus
For the first time, satellite imagery reveals thick Martian salt deposits scattered across the planet's southern surface, which one planetary scientist claims could be sites of ancient life. The mats of sodium chloride — the same taste-enhancing mineral found on your kitchen table — serve as more evidence of Mars' watery past, and researchers think the briney pools that made them could have been hospitable to life.
Comments: 4 Score: [-] 366 [+].
Cause found for Mars spacecraft loss Posted: 2 years ago by AutumnLotus
NASA investigative panel determined the probable cause of the mysterious disappearance of the Mars Global Surveyor was battery failure.
Comments: 0 Score: [-] 43 [+].
Full Moon Meets Mars Posted: 11 months ago by AutumnLotus
If skies are clear in your area on Sunday night, Dec. 23, you'll be able to partake in a rather unusual sight as the full moon appears to glide very closely above the planet Mars. Mars, which made its closest approach to the Earth on Dec. 18, will be only hours from a Christmas Eve opposition with the sun and is now shining prominently with a bright yellow-orange glow.
Comments: 0 Score: [-] 210 [+].
Blogging Mars enthusiasts create and publish Victoria Pan in Aviation Week Posted: 2 years ago by Fanatic
A detailed, colorized pan of the interior of Victoria crater was created by merging the navigation camera's B&W photos, and published in this week's Aviation Week. This demonstrates the benefits of the JPL rover team's decision to make the raw data from the rovers available to the public in near real time. Click through to see the panorama! (By the way, the far rim of the crater is half a mile away!)
Comments: 0 Score: [-] 13 [+].
New Signs That Ancient Mars Was Wet Posted: 3 weeks ago by AutumnLotus
Mars may have been wet for a billion years longer than previously thought, new water-related opal evidence from NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter suggests. The findings have implications for the possibility that Mars once supported life.
Comments: 3 Score: [-] 330 [+].
Ancient bacteria could point to life on Mars: study Posted: 1 year ago by AutumnLotus
Ancient bacteria are able to survive nearly half a million years in harsh, frozen conditions, researchers said on Monday in a study that adds to arguments that permafrost environments on Mars could harbor life.
Comments: 0 Score: [-] 96 [+].
Cave Skylights Spotted on Mars Posted: 1 year ago by AutumnLotus
NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft has discovered entrances to seven possible caves on the slopes of a Martian volcano. The find is fueling interest in potential underground habitats and sparking searches for caverns elsewhere on the Red Planet.
Comments: 2 Score: [-] 227 [+].
Mars rover "Opportunity" nears Victoria Crater Posted: 2 years ago by Fanatic
In the next week or so, Opportunity will reach the edge of Victoria Crater after about 950 sols on Mars. Expect "the coolest picture of the surface of Mars you’ve ever seen,” says lead scientist Steve Squyres.
Comments: 0 Score: [-] 10 [+].
CRISM views Phobos and Deimos Posted: 12 months ago by AutumnLotus
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.
Comments: 0 Score: [-] 171 [+].