Opportunity Rover Celebrates 11 Years on Mars

Medicine & Technology Jan 28, 2015

NASA's Opportunity Mars Rover is celebrating a new milestone of eleven years on the Red Planet. But in spite of its fortitude, the rover which is only about the size of a riding lawn mower, was originally only designed to explore the Martian surface for about 90 days, along with her twin rover, Spirit.

Bat-Like Bot May Soon Fly Its Way Into Space—The New Drone Frontier

Jan 26, 2015

The future of transformer-like technology is here, with a new bat-like robot that can crawl around on all fours, as well as fly away. The DALER, otherwise known as the Deployable Air-Land Exploration Robot, is officially here, and it shares a stunning resemblance to its inspiration—the vampire bat.

Could the Skies of Mars One Day Be Filled with Drones

Jan 26, 2015

The skies of Mars could be teaming with drones one day if NASA's new project manages to make it to the red planet. The proposed Mars Helicopter is currently being developed to help researchers cover more ground with their rovers, and one day it could even help them discover more unique and interesting aspects of Mars that they would have simply missed without it.

Beagle 2 Discovered Intact on Mars Surface

Jan 17, 2015

NASA has found the doomed spacecraft Beagle 2 on the surface of Mars, and it appears to be intact. High-resolution images taken from orbit have identified its landing location, and with closer examination it seems the craft landed on Mars safely.

Has NASA Found The Missing Beagle on Mars?

Jan 16, 2015

On December 19, 2003, a tiny craft was launched from the Mars Express, a craft orbiting Mars. This craft was part of a British-led effort for the European Space Agency's Mars Express mission. On Christmas day, the lander entered the Martian atmosphere traveling more than 20,000 kph, and then it was never heard from again. Now NASA believes they have spotted the craft on the surface more than a decade after going dark.

Mars One Headquarters Planned for Seattle

Jan 14, 2015

Rocket company SpaceX, under the leadership of Tesla founder Elon Musk, is looking hire up to 1,000 employees for its Seattle-based engineering office whose mission will be to build a commercial satellite business that will eventually pave the way for sending spacecrafts to Mars. And while many are happy about the boost in the local economy, some are left wondering whether a change in careers may bring them closer to a future on Mars?

Curiosity Rover Uncovers Potential Fossils on Mars

Jan 07, 2015

The Curiosity Rover has uncovered what appears to be rock forms very similar to those that were responsible for the formation of life on Earth. Located in the Gale Crater, the Curiosity continues its search for signs that Mars once supported life.

Coffin Discovery on Mars? Why Mars Rovers' Diminishing Memory May Be A Problem for NASA

Dec 31, 2014

It seems Mars enthusiasts have had some extra time over the holidays to painstakingly exam every image taken by NASA's Curiosity Rover. And what they found is causing quite a stir, and a bit of concern over the Rover's spotty memory as of late. The latest discovery by these enthusiasts looks suspiciously like a coffin resting on Mars surface.

NASA's Mars Rover Seems To Be Going A Bit Senile―It Can't Remember A Thing

Dec 30, 2014

It's been over a decade since The Opportunity, NASA's newest Mars Rover, began scurrying across the planet's surface―and it's showing some signs of its aging.

Orion’s Return: What Re-entry Means for the Industry of Spaceflight

Dec 23, 2014

On December 5, 2014 after a one-day weather delay, NASA launched Orion from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. While this test flight was unmanned, Orion is built to hold a crew of 2- 6 individuals. It’s no secret that NASA plans to send humans to an asteroid and to Mars using Orion.

Discovery Sparks Interest—NASA’s Mission to Mars Gets Its Own New Show

Dec 18, 2014

Often in the media, it’s what’s new and fresh that brings in the ratings. But what about looking for something potentially millions of years old? What if it wasn’t on this planet even? Peak your interest yet? Well, if so, you may just be in luck, because after decades of researching and scoping out the fourth planet from our sun, Mars, NASA has announced today that it has collaborated with the Discovery Channel to show a never-before-seen view of the Red Planet. And it airs tonight, Dec. 18!

Curiosity Rover Gets Its Own Special—Discovery Channel Tonight

Dec 18, 2014

Earlier this week, NASA announced that its Mars Curiosity Rover may have found some essential building blocks of life, and now they’re saying that viewers on Earth will have a chance to watch the discovery process for themselves. Premiering tonight, Dec. 18, the Discovery Channel will chronicle the Curiosity Rover’s long trek across the Red Planet fourth from our sun, giving viewers here on Earth a never-before-seen perspective from the surface of Mars.

Organics on Mars—Could Life Be Sustained on Red Planet?

Dec 17, 2014

While there are many requisite features for a planet to be host to forms of life, even as simple as archaea species, the most important known feature is the existence of organic molecules from which they can be created. And though there are still many questions left unanswered about our red neighbor on the galactic block, Mars, researchers from NASA say that the Curiosity Rover Mission has successfully identified methane and other organics which may give their teams a better insight into the possible watery past of our solar system’s famed “Red Planet”.

Could Water Have Changed the Face of Mars, or Is the Habitability Question too Much to Bare?

Dec 12, 2014

While some parts of the nation are fighting Winter storms of snow and sleet, eyes this week are o water of the liquid variety. And more specifically, researchers and reporters are looking towards the molecule’s importance in developing life, as well as its origins story too. News this week of the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Rosetta Mission, revealed a recently published study reporting that the sustenance of our Earth and of all life, water, may in fact have not originated on comets from the Kuiper Belt as once believed. And what’s more, now that researchers have debunked false origin stories of the miracle molecule, they’re now beginning to question whether water alone can make a planet habitable for life, or if there are other mitigating conditions as well.

NASA Finds Mars Craters May Have Once Been Seasonal Lakes

Dec 10, 2014

Ever imagine that the red planet’s surface may once have had a different appearance? Well while researchers at NASA have had rovers scoping out Mars’ surface for years, new information received from NASA’s Curiosity Rover suggests that the planet’s craters may once have served a different purpose, and that the arid red planet may once have had long-lasting above ground lakes. Though new evidence challenges the popular theory that water on the planet only existed in the liquid form underground in aquifers, evidence of above ground lakes would undoubtedly mean that the planet was much more likely to sustain life some time ago.