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
As we enter 2018, NASA’s Curiosity rover continues to be busy exploring on top of Vera Rubin Ridge, on the lower flanks of Mount Sharp. The rover is gradually making its way farther up the flanks, closing in the picturesque foothills in front of it. …
As incredible as it is to believe, NASA’s Opportunity rover is still going strong on Mars, nearly fourteen years after landing in January 2004. And now once again, it has just passed the shortest daylight time of the Martian year, the worst part of the …
Does Mars, or did it ever, have life? We still don’t know the answer to that question, but scientists have found new evidence that at least one region had ancient sea-floor hydrothermal activity, a discovery that increases the chances that microbial life may have once …