Tag: Mars
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Rocket Lab entered “hero mode” to finish Mars probes—now it’s up to Blue Origin
Two NASA spacecraft built by Rocket Lab are on the road from California to Florida this weekend to begin preparations for launch on Blue Origin’s first New Glenn rocket. These two science probes must launch between late September and mid-October to take advantage of a planetary alignment between Earth and Mars that only happens once…
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Rocket Lab’s Mars-bound twin satellites – Blue and Gold – hit the road ahead of Blue Origin launch
The fully integrated EscaPADE satellites sit inside a clean room at Rocket Lab’s Space Systems Group facility in Long Beach, California. Image: Rocket Lab Rocket Lab is gearing up for its first mission to another planet. In the fall, two of its spacecraft will hitch a ride onboard a Blue Origin New Glenn rocket to…
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Mars Society gains foothold in AI, robotics and biotechnology to clear a path to space
NASA engineer Christine Gregg inspects an experimental construction robot. (NASA Photo / Dominic Hart) The Mars Society says it’s making progress on launching a startup incubator in the Seattle area, with artificial intelligence and biotech as its first targets. Its long-term goal? To make a profit, yes, but also to support the development of technologies…
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Cybertrucks on Mars? Space advocates and NASA consider ideas for sample return
These AI images of a “Cybertruck on Mars” were created by the Stable Diffusion image generation program, running on Tesla’s Dojo supercomputer in 2022. (Tesla via YouTube) Tesla’s Cybertruck may look ungainly on Earth, but a pressurized version of the vehicle might be just the thing for gathering up samples of Martian rock and soil…
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Mars Society brings its convention — plus strategies for space startups — to Seattle
Crew members conduct a simulated survey at the Mars Desert Research Station in Utah. (Mars Society Photo) What’s the best route to the Red Planet? Hundreds of people are converging on Seattle this week to consider that question at the annual convention of the Mars Society. And the answer may come, at least in part,…
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No, NASA hasn’t found life on Mars yet, but the latest discovery is intriguing
NASA’s Perseverance rover has found a very intriguing rock on the surface of Mars. An arrowhead-shaped rock observed by the rover has chemical signatures and structures that could have been formed by ancient microbial life. To be absolutely clear, this is not irrefutable evidence of past life on Mars, when the red planet was more…
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No, NASA hasn’t found life on Mars yet, but the latest discovery is intriguing
NASA’s Perseverance rover has found a very intriguing rock on the surface of Mars. An arrowhead-shaped rock observed by the rover has chemical signatures and structures that could have been formed by ancient microbial life. To be absolutely clear, this is not irrefutable evidence of past life on Mars, when the red planet was more…
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Curiosity discovers pure sulfur rocks, continues to explore Mount Sharp on Mars
On May 30, NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover, currently exploring Gale Crater on the red planet, drove over a small rock on the Martian surface. The rock cracked open while driving over the rock, revealing its interior composition. Scientists on Curiosity’s team were stunned to find yellow sulfur crystals within the rock — the first time…
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InSight reveals high meteoroid impact rate on Mars
Scientists have calculated the rate of meteoroid impacts on Mars using seismic measurements NASA’s retired InSight lander took during its mission. Two companion studies published on June 28, independently estimate substantially higher rates than were previously derived from images taken by spacecraft orbiting the red planet. The studies show that seismic measures promise to be…
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NASA’s Perseverance Rover Continues Mars Sample Collection as Return Mission Plans Evolve
Efforts to collect samples on Mars using the Perseverance rover are ongoing, even as NASA reevaluates the timeline and approach for returning those samples to Earth. Since its landing on Mars in February 2021, the Perseverance rover has filled 26 of its 43 sample tubes, with 20 containing rock cores, two containing regolith, and one…