Mars
It Rained So Hard on Ancient Mars that Craters Filled Up and Overflowed
Figuring out the ancient climate on Mars has been tricky. While evidence gathered from orbit and on the surface seems…
Perseverance and the Quest to Find Life on Mars
I remember the Summer of 1997 when a shoebox-sized Mars rover literally broke the Internet. Sojourner - the first rover…
Lava Tubes on the Moon and Mars are Really, Really Big. Big Enough to Fit an Entire Planetary Base
Could lava tubes on the Moon and Mars play a role in establishing a human presence on those worlds? Possibly,…
InSight’s Mole Is In!
The InSight lander is making progress on Mars. After many months of struggle and careful adaptation, the InSight lander's 'Mole'…
The Martian Sky Pulses in Ultraviolet Every Night
There’s a surprising phenomenon taking place in Mars’ atmosphere: during the spring and fall seasons on the Red Planet, large…
There’s One Cloud on Mars That’s Over 1800 km Long
Mars' massive cloud is back. Every year during Mars' summer solstice, a cloud of water ice forms on the leeward…
Perseverance Rover Rumbles Off the Launchpad to Mars
NASA’s Mars 2020 Perseverance rover is now successfully on its journey to Mars, launching from Space Launch Complex 41 at…
Thanks to Cosmic Radiation, There Could be Life on Mars, Just a Couple of Meters Under the Surface
Remember back in 2008 when the Phoenix lander on Mars scraped away a few inches of rust-colored regolith to reveal…
Perseverance Has Been Put Inside its Atlas V Rocket
NASA's Perseverance rover and elements of the Mars 2020 mission were recently loaded aboard the rocket that will take it…
Instead of Going Straight to Mars, Astronauts Should Make a Slingshot Past Venus First
Every 26 months, the orbits of both Earth and Mars conspire to make travel between the two planets shorter. Launching…