#Why NASA’s Mars missions will be silent for weeks

#Why NASA’s Mars missions will be silent for weeks

“#Why NASA’s Mars missions will be silent for weeks” NASA is standing down from commanding its Mars missions for the next few weeks.  While the Earth and Red Planet are on opposite sides of the sun – in the biennial Mars solar conjunction – the planets are unable to “see” each other.  The sun emits hot, ionized gas from its corona that extends into…

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#NASA confirms Mars region had thousands of ancient volcanic eruptions

#NASA confirms Mars region had thousands of ancient volcanic eruptions

“#NASA confirms Mars region had thousands of ancient volcanic eruptions” NASA scientists have found evidence that thousands of massive ancient volcanoes erupted on Mars.  The so-called “super eruptions” occurred in a region of northern Mars called Arabia Terra over a period of 500 million years dating back approximately 4 billion years. Researchers who studied the topography and mineral…

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#China preps for Mars missions with mini helicopter prototype

#China preps for Mars missions with mini helicopter prototype

“#China preps for Mars missions with mini helicopter prototype” BEIJING – China has developed a prototype miniature helicopter for surveillance work on future Mars missions, according to its space science agency, following the historic landing of a robotic rover on the Red Planet a few months ago. The prototype is similar in appearance to the…

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#China’s Mars rover completes 90-day mission

#China’s Mars rover completes 90-day mission

“#China’s Mars rover completes 90-day mission” China’s Mars rover has completed its planned 90-day mission fully charged and in good condition, and will continue to explore, according to reports. The Zhurong rover would continue to explore Mars’ Utopia Planitia, the large area where it set down, the nation’s National Space Administration said Friday, according to…

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#NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover runs into puzzling sampling conundrum

#NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover runs into puzzling sampling conundrum

“#NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover runs into puzzling sampling conundrum” NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover has stumbled into an issue during its first sampling attempt.  “#SamplingMars is one of my most complicated tasks. Early pics and data show a successful drill hole, but no sample in the tube–something we’ve never seen in testing on Earth,” the rover’s Twitter account announced…

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#NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover begins hunt for signs of past life

#NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover begins hunt for signs of past life

“#NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover begins hunt for signs of past life” NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover has begun its hunt for evidence of ancient microbial life.  The spacecraft, which landed on the red planet in February, has tested an array of instruments on its 7-foot robotic arm.  In a Monday release, NASA said that Perseverance had commenced its probe of Martian rocks and sediment, testing detectors…

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#Curiosity rover detects ‘alien burp’ on surface of Mars

#Curiosity rover detects ‘alien burp’ on surface of Mars

“#Curiosity rover detects ‘alien burp’ on surface of Mars” Did E.T. just belch? A so-called “alien burp” may have been detected by NASA’s Curiosity rover while exploring Mars. A group of scientists may have pinpointed the location of a mysterious source of Martian methane, a simple gas often produced by microbes. Most of the methane…

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