After many months of testing and devising new techniques since experiencing mechanical problems, NASA’s Curiosity rover is finally drilling again! The latest test this past weekend proved a success, producing the first drill hole in a rock in over a year. So it seems that …
Read More‘Drill, Baby, Drill!’: Curiosity rover successfully tests new drilling technique on Mars
Excitement has been building for NASA’s next rover mission to Mars, scheduled to launch sometime in 2020. Although it looks a lot like the current Curiosity rover, its mission will be to search directly for possible evidence of past life. Curiosity, on the other hand, …
Read MoreFlying in Martian skies: NASA’s 2020 rover mission will include tiny helicopter
This past weekend NASA launched its next mission to Mars, but this one will be a little different than the previous ones. Unlike the rovers Curiosity and Opportunity, both still actively examining rocks and sand on the surface, the new InSight lander won’t go anywhere. …
Read MoreInSight mission launches to study the ‘heart’ of Mars
The Trace Gas Orbiter, part of the European ExoMars mission, has returned some beautiful first images and has also taken its first sniffs of the Martian atmosphere. “We were really pleased to see how good this picture was given the lighting conditions,” said Antoine Pommerol, …
Read MoreExoMars returns first images, sniffs Martian atmosphere for methane
Time goes by quickly when you are exploring Mars. It may not seem like it, but NASA’s Curiosity rover has now passed the 2,000-sol marksince its landing way back in August 2012. In those 5+ years, the rover has discovered evidence that Gale crater used …
Read MoreCuriosity rover celebrates 2,000 sols on Mars as it prepares to examine ancient clays
The Curiosity rover has sent back some beautiful new images of the foothills of Mount Sharp in Gale crater on Mars. The above image is a panorama of the breathtaking view, thanks to processing by Thomas Appéré. The rover is still making its way closer to …
Read MoreStunning new panorama of the foothills of Mount Sharp on Mars
NASA’s Opportunity rover has just crossed another amazing threshold – passing the 5,000-sol mark on Mars. That is a phenomenal achievement, considering that the plucky little machine was designed for a hopeful lifetime of at least 90 sols (a sol is a Martian day, just …
Read MoreIncredible journey: Opportunity rover reaches 5,000-sol milestone on Mars