Tag: Mars
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Destination Phobos: ‘Humans Orbiting Mars’ report goes public
An artist’s conception shows as astronaut’s-eye view of Mars from Phobos, one of its moons. (Credit: Planetary Society) The nonprofit Planetary Society has laid out a detailed blueprint for sending astronauts to the Martian moon Phobos in 2033 and then touching down on Mars itself beginning in 2039. The blueprint released Tuesday is based on a “Humans…
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ESA hopes to commit to 2018 Mars rover launch by December
The ExoMars 2018 rover will be assembled by Airbus Defense and Space at its facility in Stevenage, UK. A “Mars Yard” test array has been constructed at the Stevenage plant. Credit: Airbus Defense and Space With the flagship-class ExoMars program nearing the finish line after a decade in development, European Space Agency officials want to…
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NASA confirms present-day salt water flows on Mars
It was a search hundreds of years old. On Monday, NASA announced what so many have sought for so long – a groundbreaking discovery by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) of definitive evidence of recent salt water flows on Mars. The discovery confirms long-held suspicions and mounting evidence from MRO and places Mars into a…
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NASA confirms intermittent water flows on Mars
STORY WRITTEN FOR CBS NEWS & USED WITH PERMISSION Dark, narrow streaks on Martian slopes such as these at Hale Crater are inferred to be formed by seasonal flow of water on contemporary Mars. The streaks are roughly the length of a football field. The imaging and topographical information in this processed, false-color view come from the…
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Mars mystery solved? Dark streaks linked to salty water trails
These dark streaks, shown flowing downhill in a false-color image from NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, are inferred to have been formed by contemporary flowing water. (Credit: NASA / JPL / Univ. of Arizona) For years, scientists have puzzled over dark streaks that appear and disappear on the surface of Mars – and now they’re confident enough…
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NASA considers SLS launch sequence for human Mars missions in the 2030s
As NASA continues to develop their plans for delivering humans to the Martian system in the 2030s, a Technical Interchange Meeting has outlined two potential hardware launch sequence options for NASA’s upcoming heavy lift rocket, SLS, that would enable the space agency to utilize SLS’s capabilities while realizing human exploration of Mars. Evaluating hardware launch options: *Click…
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Reality check on ‘The Martian’ movie from a real astronaut: ‘Nerds rock’
Matt Damon stars as a stranded astronaut in “The Martian.” (Credit: Twentieth Century Fox) “The Martian” isn’t due to hit theaters until Oct. 2, but the highly anticipated man-vs.-Mars movie is already sparking some scientific nitpicking. So here’s some advice from NASA astronaut Michael Barratt: Don’t get hung up on what the filmmakers got wrong.…
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SLS manifest options aim for Phobos prior to 2039 Mars landing
As NASA continues to mature a mission and support architecture path toward its much heralded endeavor of landing humans on Mars, the agency’s under-development heavy lift SLS rocket now stands to take on a primary space transportation role via a rapidly increasing flight rate designed to support human missions to Phobos by 2033 and to the surface of Mars by 2039. Evolving…
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Launch of European Mars mission delayed two months
Artist’s concept of the Schiaparelli lander separating from the Trace Gas Orbiter on final approach to Mars. Credit: ESA/ATG medialab Officials expect to delay next year’s launch of a European Mars orbiter and lander about two months — from January to March — to remove faulty pressure transducers from the landing craft’s braking system, the…
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Mountain-climbing Mars rover sends back low-angle selfie
This low-angle self-portrait of NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover from Aug. 5 shows the vehicle at the site from which it reached down to drill into a rock target called “Buckskin” on lower Mount Sharp. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover has recorded itself in another of its famous self-portraits as the mobile robot analyzes bore…