Searches for life on Mars have been hindered by one simple fact: no such creatures have ever been discovered despite our best efforts. This does not indicate lack of effort on our part. One approach involves studying Deinococcus radiodurans bacteria, which have proven resilient against large doses of radiation exposure. Scientists think some microbes on…
Scientists are still trying to gather answers about Mars. They wish to know whether the planet ever supported life and how its evolution might have progressed. Researchers must also understand what it will be like for future manned spacecraft to travel there, including weather forecasting and how to access safe drinking water sources. How long…
Ancient astronomers were mystified by the Red Planet’s seemingly random movement across the sky, sometimes moving in line with its celestial neighbors (prograde motion) or in reverse (retrograde). Although Mars and Earth share many similarities, they differ greatly in many aspects. Atmosphere Mars has an extremely tenuous atmosphere with pressure that is less than 1…
Images showing what has been called “otherworldly wreckage” on Mars have made headlines recently, yet the debris seen is actually parts of landing equipment used during NASA’s Ingenuity and Perseverance missions in 2021. NASA reports that both its parachute and cone-shaped backshell were released at incredible speeds upon entry to Mars’ atmosphere, though their coating…
Mars can be seen with the naked eye throughout most of the year and becomes easier and brighter to identify during oppositions, when Earth and Mars come closest together on their orbital paths around the Sun. Planet Earth’s surface is reddish brown in hue and covered with black volcanic sand and dark basalt rocks that…
Southern Utah’s lunar-esque desert landscape seems tailor-made for Hollywood blockbusters, while also serving as an arena where some of the brightest minds in space simulation try out ideas about what life may be like on Mars. Near Hanksville lies the Mars Desert Research Station. This remote plot of land serves as an analogue of Mars…
Mars may present an immense challenge for microorganisms living here on Earth; yet billions of years ago it may have had temperate conditions capable of supporting life. Scientists have made important discoveries through spacecraft missions and by studying rocks from Mars that have fallen to Earth, suggesting it once supported life. Recent evidence points towards…
Dust storms are a regular feature on Mars, often building into planet-engulfing clouds that last months or years. MAVEN and Odyssey use thermal cameras to monitor these duststorms with precision. At first, a spring breeze blew rusty dust through NASA’s Opportunity rover at Perseverance Valley. But then it quickly expanded and blocked out the sun…
Mars, one of the inner planets of our Solar System, is often known as “the Red Planet” due to its distinct red hue and iron oxide coating. With two natural satellites or moons named Deimos and Phobos as natural satellites or moons circling it. Also dubbed as “the Fourth Planet”, its axis of rotation tilts…
