#NASA’s Curiosity rover takes Mars selfie

#NASA’s Curiosity rover takes Mars selfie

“#NASA’s Curiosity rover takes Mars selfie” NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) released a stunning “selfie” taken by the Curiosity Mars rover on Tuesday.  In a tweet, the Curiosity team explained the image was captured near the impressive rock formation named “Mont Mercou” after a mountain in France’s southern region. “Wish you were here! This selfie was taken in front of ‘Mont Mercou,’ a rock formation…

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#US, China consulted on safety as their crafts headed to Mars

#US, China consulted on safety as their crafts headed to Mars

“#US, China consulted on safety as their crafts headed to Mars” BEIJING — As their respective spacecrafts headed to Mars, China and the US held consultations earlier this year in a somewhat unusual series of exchanges between the rivals. China’s National Space Agency confirmed Wednesday that it had working-level meetings and communications with NASA from…

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#NASA’s Orion capsule begins new water drop tests

#NASA’s Orion capsule begins new water drop tests

“#NASA’s Orion capsule begins new water drop tests” NASA engineers at the Virginia-based Langley Research Center have begun a new series of four water-impact drop tests using a test version of the agency’s Orion spacecraft capsule.  The tests, conducted at Langley’s Landing and Impact Research Facility Hydro Impact Basin in Hampton, will simulate various landing scenarios in order to help researchers get a clearer…

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#Every step taken is ‘uncharted territory’

#Every step taken is ‘uncharted territory’

“#Every step taken is ‘uncharted territory’” NASA’s Ingenuity Mars helicopter is targeting no earlier than April 8 for the first-ever attempt at power and controlled flight of an aircraft on another planet.  In a news conference Tuesday, members of the agency’s California-based Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) explained that there are still a “number of challenges ahead” and that every single step of the…

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#Mars is first inner planet after Earth to have core measured

#Mars is first inner planet after Earth to have core measured

“#Mars is first inner planet after Earth to have core measured” NASA’s InSight spacecraft has measured the size of Mars’ core for the first time.  The spacecraft launched in May 2018 and successfully landed on the red planet in November of that year.  InSight — which is short for Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport — was created to study the early evolution of terrestrial planets…

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#Mars rover sends back grinding, squealing sounds of driving

#Mars rover sends back grinding, squealing sounds of driving

“#Mars rover sends back grinding, squealing sounds of driving” CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — NASA’s newest Mars rover has sent back the first-ever sounds of driving on the red planet — a grinding, clanking, banging affair that by Earth standards would be pretty worrisome. The noises made by Perseverance’s six metal wheels and suspension on the first test…

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#New NASA study challenges beliefs about water on Mars

#New NASA study challenges beliefs about water on Mars

“#New NASA study challenges beliefs about water on Mars” A new study from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and researchers at the California Institute of Technology questions whether or not a longheld theory about Mars still holds water. In their research, the team of scientists posits that a large quantity of the Martian planet’s water had not escaped into space due to its low gravity as previously assumed, but…

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#NASA releases audio recordings of first wind sounds on Mars

#NASA releases audio recordings of first wind sounds on Mars

“#NASA releases audio recordings of first wind sounds on Mars” NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) released two historic audio recordings from the surface of Mars on Wednesday. In the first audio clip, recorded using the Perseverance Mars rover’s two microphones, listeners can hear wind.  In their post on SoundCloud, NASA described the sound as “listening to a seashell or having a hand…

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#Turkish lake may hold clues to ancient life on planet

#Turkish lake may hold clues to ancient life on planet

“#Turkish lake may hold clues to ancient life on planet” LAKE SALDA, Turkey – As NASA’s rover Perseverance explores the surface of Mars, scientists hunting for signs of ancient life on the distant planet are using data gathered on a mission much closer to home at a lake in southwest Turkey. NASA says the minerals…

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