Space and astronomy news
Although these strange features on Mars look a bit like hieroglyphics or geoglyphs such as the mysterious Nazca lines on Earth, they are completely natural features, ones that are found on Earth too. This is one of the latest images from the HiRISE camera on the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. Called ‘rootless cones,’ they form on …
Continue reading “Hieroglyphic-like Features Point to Past Subsurface Water on Mars”
Why is everyone so excited about these dusty Mars rocks? This week’s big news was the announcement of evidence for flowing water on Mars, based on images of what appear to be smooth river rock-type pebbles found by Curiosity. Of course that’s a big statement to make, and for good reason — identifying water, whether …
Continue reading “A River Ran Through It: Why Do They Think There Was Once Water on Mars?”
[/caption] In a news conference today, NASA announced discoveries that provide additional evidence of seasonal water flows on Mars. Using data collected by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, the MRO team presented images of dark lines that form on slopes during the martian spring/summer and fade in winter. During the news conference, HIRISE principal investigator Alfred McEwen (University of …
[/caption] No sooner do we post one article about water on Mars when it’s time for another. Planetary scientists have uncovered telltale signs of water on Mars — frozen and liquid — in the earliest period of the Red Planet’s history. They found evidence of running water that sprang from glaciers throughout the Martian middle …
Continue reading “Evidence for Past Water on Mars Keeps Flowing, This Time from Glaciers”
[/caption] Even though the Mars Rover Spirit is asleep, a new look at old data from one of her instruments confirms the presence of large amounts of carbonate-rich rocks, which means that regions of the planet may have once harbored water. The Miniature Thermal Emission Spectrometer, or Mini-TES, instrument on the rover looked at an …
Continue reading “Spirit Rover Still Providing New Evidence for Past Water on Mars”
[/caption] Images of Mars taken from orbit show a massive system of riverbeds and canyons etched by water. Or maybe not. A new study of one channel shows that it was formed by lava flow and not water, and the results make “a strong case that fluid lava can produce channels that look very much …
Continue reading “Possibility of Past Water on Mars Takes a Hit”
Previous studies of Mars indicated that while water was certainly present on the Red Planet in the ancient past, it may have only been on the surface for a short time, present in short catastrophic floods. However, a new study suggests that ancient features on Mars called valley networks were carved by recurrent floods during …
[/caption] NASA’s Phoenix Mars Lander has a fork-like conductivity probe on it’s robotic arm, and results from the instrument are presenting a bit of a quandary for mission scientists. The thermal and electroconductivity probe has sensed humidity rising and falling in the air the near the lander, but when stuck into the ground, its measurements …
Continue reading “Phoenix Probe Says Both Yes and No to Water on Mars”
The results are now in from the first sample of Mars regolith to be baked in Phoenix’s oven. It’s not good news… there’s no water. After a difficult time of actually delivering the sample to the Thermal and Evolved Gas Analyzer (TEGA) – a.k.a. the “oven” – scientists were hopeful for a clear science run. …
Continue reading “Phoenix Finds No Water on Mars Surface… So Far”
With the successful touchdown of the Phoenix Lander, NASA is continuing its quest to find evidence of past and present water on Mars. This week we discuss the geologic history of Mars, and explain why NASA thinks the story of water on Mars is so important. And how this ties into the search for life …