In the early years of manned space flight, having the “right stuff” meant being brave enough to fly the first rocket-propelled planes. Today, it means spending perhaps the rest of your life on the planet Mars. Dutch-based Mars One, which plans to set up the first human colony on Mars in 2023, has announced a […]
Dutch Group Searching for Human Settlers for Mars
Water Found in 2 Billion-Year-Old Mars Rock
Scientists examining a 2 billion-year-old rock from Mars that landed in the Sahara desert say it holds a large amount of water for a Martian meteorite. Experts at the University of New Mexico say the rock has about 30 times the water of other Mars meteorites. They say this could lead to a better understanding […]
US Space Agency Announces New Plans for Mars Exploration
The U.S. space agency has big plans for the Red Planet. NASA has announced an ambitious multi-year Mars exploration program, looking ahead to meeting President Barack Obama’s challenge to send humans to Mars in the 2030s. NASA administrator Charles Bolden says the seven missions, planned or already under way, will ensure America remains the world […]
NASA to Send Second Rover to Mars
The U.S. space agency, NASA, has announced plans to launch another robotic rover to Mars in 2020. The Opportunity rover would be part of NASA’s ambitious program to explore the Martian surface and atmosphere, ahead of its goal to send a manned mission to the red planet in about 20 years. The Curiosity rover landed […]
Mars Rover Ready to Take First Sample
The U.S. space agency says the Mars rover Curiosity is ready to scoop up its first sample of soil from the red planet Saturday. NASA officials made the announcement Thursday. It said the rover’s robotic arm will take several samples of Martian soil in the coming days and process them to help determine if there […]
US Scientists: Clear Evidence Mars Had Flowing Water
U.S. scientists say pictures sent back from the Curiosity probe on Mars show clear evidence that water — essential for life — once flowed on the planet. The pictures of Curiosity’s landing site in a Martian crater show pebbles and stones driven into the rock. The scientists say the stones are smooth and round, a […]
U.S. Martian Rover Nearing First Major Drive
The Mars rover Curiosity will undergo a final round of mechanical checks Thursday before making its first lengthy drive across the surface of the Red Planet. Engineers with the U.S. space agency NASA have kept Curiosity parked in one spot for the past week while testing its sophisticated instruments, including a high-resolution camera and a […]
Mars Rover Drives on Red Planet
The U.S. Mars rover Curiosity has successfully competed its first drive on the Red Planet. NASA engineer Matt Heverly said the rover drove 4.5 meters Wednesday, rotated and backed up 2.5 meters. He said the drive confirmed that the soil on the planet is firm. Pictures from the Mars rover showed tire tracks made during […]
NASA Rover Ready for Drive on Mars
The U.S. Mars rover Curiosity is set to go for its first drive. NASA says it will tell the car-sized robotic vehicle to drive forward three meters on Wednesday, before turning around and driving back to the site where it landed earlier this month. The U.S. space agency moved four of Curiosity’s six wheels on […]
US Shows First Color Mars Crater Photo
The U.S. space rover Curiosity has beamed to Earth its first color photo of the Martian landscape, a reddish-brown scene from the floor of a crater. The U.S. space agency NASA said Tuesday the photo shows the north wall and rim of Gale Crater in the distance. The photo, which can be seen at http://www.nasa.gov/images/content/674083main_PIA15691-full_full.jpg, […]